NCJ Number
216049
Journal
Prehospital Emergency Care Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: October-December 2006 Pages: 447-450
Date Published
October 2006
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study examined the autopsy reports of 37 individuals who died after being injected with electricity from a Taser gun, in order to identify any Taser-related causes of death.
Abstract
For the majority of cases (48.6 percent), the medical examiner reported the cause of death to be stimulant intoxication; 12 autopsy reports gave no proximal cause of death, but reported cardiopulmonary arrest, sudden death, or cardiac arrhythmia. In 13 of the autopsy reports (35.1 percent), Taser injuries were mentioned when analyzing the cause of death. Taser use was specifically mentioned as not a factor in three cases, as a possible cause in six cases, and as a contributing factor in four cases. Based on history and autopsy findings, 28 cases (75.7 percent) were diagnosed by the medical examiner as having excited delirium. Excited delirium is broadly defined as a state of agitation, excitability, paranoia, aggression, great strength, and numbness to pain. It is often associated with illegal stimulant use and psychiatric disease. In these cases, stimulant use, agitation-related acidosis, hypoxia, and/or rhabdomyolysis are believed to contribute to sudden death, especially in individuals who are at higher risk because of heart disease. The underlying conditions associated with excited delirium-related deaths in prior studies were overwhelmingly present in the Taser-related deaths examined in the current study. This study confirms previous findings that deaths following a Taser electrical injection and incapacitation occur with individuals already at higher risk for sudden death. The medical management of individuals recently subjected to a Taser gun should consider the likelihood of the physiological results of excited delirium and/or extensive struggle against restraint. Restraint following Taser injection should allow for chest expansion in breathing, early and continuous cardiac monitoring, and the use of chemical restraint to prevent further exertion. 3 tables and 21 references