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Effects of Tasers

Using a Taser on a suspect who is violent, agitated or otherwise out-of-control is standard procedure within many police forces. According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, a Taser is a brand-name electrocution device that unleashes two barbed darts, connected to wires, which deliver shocks upwards of 1300 volts. The objective of the Taser is to immobilize a suspect, which it accomplishes by inducing involuntary muscle contractions. However, the effects of these weapons can sometimes be much more severe than those their manufacturer advertises.

  1. Clonic

    • As the medical resource website the Medical News notes, the electroshocks that Tasers deliver interfere with the body's neuromuscular system, which is the system responsible for controlling the interaction of the body's network of nerve fibers with its network of muscles. Typically, a neuromuscular response to such a shock will be clonic, meaning the muscles in the body will expand and contract repeatedly, but the victim of the shock will remain conscious. These clonic muscle contractions temporarily restrict a victim's ability to control his muscles freely, and will typically cause a victim to fall.

    Tonic-Clonic

    • In some instances, people who are shot with Tasers suffer from tonic symptoms in addition to clonic ones, which means they will faint or pass out of consciousness while their muscles are convulsing. Such an episode is known as a tonic-clonic seizure. According to the National Institutes of Health's online health resource Medline Plus, signs of a tonic-clonic seizure, in addition to the typical clonic, rhythmic convulsing, include 15- to 20-second periods of total muscle rigidity; difficulty breathing or cessation of breathing; incontinence; foaming at the mouth; and bluish skin discoloration.

    Blood Pressure

    • According to The Medical News, while Tasers do not have a significant impact on blood pH, lactate, potassium, calcium and bicarbonate levels in the body, it does cause blood pressure to drop. More specifically, it lowers systolic blood pressure, which is the force that blood exerts on vessels when the heart muscle is pumping. As MayoClinic.com notes, even small changes in systolic blood pressure, such as dropping from a measurement of 130 systolic to 110 systolic, can lead to dizziness and fainting.

    Heart Rate

    • The voltage from a Taser will typically cause a victim's heart rate to jump, which is not surprising considering the heart is a muscle connected to the neuromuscular system. However, cardiac effects can also be much worse. As the Canadian Medical Association Journal notes, arrhythmias, or abnormal heart beat patterns, are a common occurrence amongst Taser victims. The effect can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting.

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