This article examines the dart-to-heart distance, the maximum distance between the heart and a model Taser stimulation dart, at which a Taser can directly cause ventricular fibrillation (VF).
The maximum distance between the heart and a model Taser stimulation dart, called the dart-to-heart distance, at which the Taser can directly cause ventricular fibrillation (VF), was measured in pigs. A 9-mm-long blunt probe was advanced snugly through the surrounding tissues toward the heart. Five animals [pig mass =61.2± 6.23 standard deviation (SD) kg] for ten dart-to-heart distances where the Taser caused VF were tested. The dart-to-heart distances where the Taser caused VF of the first stimulation site ranged from 4 to 8 mm with average 6.2 mm±1.79 (SD) and of the second stimulation site ranged from 2 to 8 mm with average 5.4 mm±2.41 (SD). The results help inform the evolving discussion of risks associated with Tasers. (Publisher abstract provided)