TASER electronic control devices and eye injuries

Bone-Penetrating TASER Bolt: A Rare Case of Penetrating Injury to the Middle Phalanx of the Little Finger

TASER^© (Axon Enterprise, Scottsdale, Arizona) is a type of electric gun that delivers a sudden shock to temporarily disable a human subject. It is used by law enforcement, as well as civilians, worldwide. Despite its wide use as a “non-lethal” form of self-defence, it can lead to serious injuries. We are presenting a rare case report of a 28-year-old man who presented to our Plastic Surgery Trauma Service following a penetrating TASER bolt injury to the middle phalanx of his left little finger.

Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle Injuries to the Eye and Ocular Adnexa: The Management of Complex Trauma

PURPOSE

To report the ocular and adnexal injuries sustained by patients with Thomas A. Swift's electric rifles (TASER; TASER International, Scottsdale, AZ), review the literature, and discuss the management of this complex trauma.

DESIGN

Multicenter, retrospective case series and literature review.

PARTICIPANTS

Seventeen eyes of 16 patients (5 eyes of 5 patients treated at 3 institutions, and 12 eyes of 11 previously reported cases).

METHODS

The clinical data of 17 eyes were pooled. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the association between the extent of TASER injury and patient outcomes.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Extent of TASER injury (zone of injury, penetrating vs. perforating) and association with patient outcomes (visual acuity [VA] and retinal detachment [RD]).

RESULTS

In our cohort, 4 patients were transported by law enforcement and 1 was transferred from a community hospital. Four patients were taken to the operating room for TASER removal and globe repair; 1 patient underwent removal in the emergency room. Of 17 pooled cases, 12 (71%) involved open-globe injury. Of these, there was a high rate of zone 3 injuries (100%; n = 12) and a high incidence of RD (73%; 8 of 11, eviscerated eye excluded). Among patients with closed-globe injury (n = 5), 1 patient demonstrated exudative RD and 1 patient demonstrated retinal dialysis with RD. Of 10 patients with RD, 1 (10%) achieved resolution with monitoring (exudative RD); 1 (10%) underwent cryopexy and pneumatic retinopexy; 3 (30%) underwent vitrectomy, and 5 (50%) with poor prognosis did not undergo vitreoretinal surgery. In the 3 patients who underwent vitrectomy, all 3 (100%) demonstrated redetachment resulting from proliferative vitreoretinopathy and required additional surgery. Visual acuity on presentation was significantly correlated with final VA (ρ = 0.783; P = 0.02). Men (94%) were more likely than women (6%) to sustain TASER trauma. Median age was 26 years. There was a 50% rate of loss to follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Thomas A. Swift's electric rifle injuries to the eyes or ocular adnexa represent complex trauma. Zone 3 injuries are common. The visual prognosis is guarded, and eyes may require multiple surgeries to preserve vision. Patients are at high risk for loss to follow-up by way of incarceration.

Emergency Medical Services Experience With Barb Removal After Taser Use By Law Enforcement: A Descriptive National Study

Background

Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs), including Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifles (TASERs), are increasingly used by law enforcement officers (LEOs) in the US and world-wide. Little is known about the experience of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers with these incidents.

Objectives

This study describes EMS encounters with documented TASER use and barb removal, characteristics of resulting injuries, and treatment provided.

Methods

This retrospective study used five combined, consecutive National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS; Salt Lake City, Utah USA) public-release datasets (2011-2015). All EMS activations with documented TASER barb removal were included. Descriptive analyses were carried out.

Results

The study included 648 EMS activations with documented TASER barb removal, yielding a prevalence rate of 4.55 per 1,000,000 EMS activations. Patients had a mean age of 35.9 years (SD=18.2). The majority were males (80.2%) and mainly white (71.3%). Included EMS activations were mostly in urban or suburban areas (78.3%). Over one-half received Advanced Life Support (ALS)-level of service (58.2%). The most common chief complaint reported by dispatch were burns (29.9%), followed by traumatic injury (16.1%). Patients had pain (45.6%) or wound (17.2%) as a primary symptom, with most having possible injury (77.8%). Reported causes of injury were mainly fire and flames (29.8%) or excessive heat (16.7%). The provider’s primary impressions were traumatic injury (66.3%) and behavioral/psychiatric disorder (16.8%). Only one cardiac arrest (0.2%) was reported. Over one-half of activations resulted in patient transports (56.3%), mainly to a hospital (91.2%). These encounters required routine EMS care (procedures and medications). An increase in the prevalence of EMS activations with documented TASER barb removal over the study period was not significant (P=.27).

Conclusion

At present, EMS activations with documented TASER barb removal are rare. Routine care by EMS is expected, and life-threatening emergencies are not common. All EMS providers should be familiar with local policies and procedures related to TASER use and barb removal.

El SayedM, El TawilC, TamimH, MailhacA, MannNC. Emergency Medical Services experience with barb removal after TASER use by law enforcement: a descriptive national study. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(1):38–45.