Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology

, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp 329–335 | Cite as

An evaluation of two conducted electrical weapons using a swine comparative cardiac safety model

  • Donald M. Dawes
  • Jeffrey D. Ho
  • Johanna C. Moore
  • Andrew P. Laudenbach
  • Robert F. Reardon
  • James R. Miner
Original Article
First Online:
Accepted:

Abstract

Arrest-related deaths proximate to the use of a conducted electrical weapon (CEW) continue to generate controversy despite a better understanding of the multi-factorial nature of many of these deaths. With the rapid adoption of this technology by law enforcement, and the proliferation of companies entering the marketplace, it is important to have a method to assess the relative safety of these weapons. We had previously developed a model to assess the relative cardiac safety of CEWs. In this study, we use this model to compare the TASER X2 and the Karbon Arms MPID. Our results suggest that the TASER X2 may have an improved cardiac safety margin over the Karbon Arms MPID as determined by a smaller area of cardiac pacing on the anterior chest in our model. This model seems to offer a reproducible means of comparing the cardiac effects of CEWs.

Keywords

TASER Karbon Arms X2 MPID Conducted electrical weapon CEW Cardiac safety 
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Notes

Conflict of interest

TASER International, Inc. provided funding and material support for this study. Dr. Ho is the medical director for TASER. Dr. Dawes is a consultant to TASER. Drs. Ho and Dawes own shares of stock in the company. Drs. Moore, Laudenbach, Reardon, and Miner have no conflicts to declare.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Donald M. Dawes
    • 1
    • 2
  • Jeffrey D. Ho
    • 3
    • 4
  • Johanna C. Moore
    • 3
  • Andrew P. Laudenbach
    • 3
  • Robert F. Reardon
    • 3
  • James R. Miner
    • 3
  1. 1.Lompoc Valley Medical CenterLompocUSA
  2. 2.Santa Barbara Police DepartmentSanta BarbaraUSA
  3. 3.Department of Emergency MedicineHennepin County Medical CenterMinneapolisUSA
  4. 4.Meeker County Sheriff’s OfficeLitchfieldUSA

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