The high-voltage, brief pulse width stimulus train applied by the latest generations of conducted electrical weapons (CEWs), such as the TASER® M26 and X26 CEWs, are intended primarily to strongly activate skeletal muscle contraction (thus disabling the target individual through incapacitation of their ability to move and to stand), while secondarily also eliciting strong sensations of pain and/or exhaustion. TASER CEW stimuli applied through transcutaneous darts which have contacted or penetrated the surface of the torso are inherently protective against cardiac events because current needs to penetrate deep within the torso to reach the heart itself, and because stimulus pulse widths needed to activate the heart are longer in duration than those needed to stimulate skeletal muscle or nerve.
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Notes
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* James D. Sweeney reports serving as a member of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of TASER International, Inc. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this chapter was reported.
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Sweeney, J.D. (2009). Transcutaneous Muscle Stimulation. In: Ho, J., Kroll, M. (eds) TASER® Conducted Electrical Weapons: Physiology, Pathology, and Law. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85475-5_5
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