United States: People who have heart implants face potential health risks from a powerful handheld taser, according to recent research findings.
Key Findings from the Study
Heart implants pose a danger to powerful taser discharges because researchers published their findings regarding pulse generator failure in the journal Heart Rhythm, as reported by HealthDay.
The implant will stop functioning properly or mistakenly release its shock because it incorrectly identifies heart rhythm disturbances according to researchers.
What the Study Looked At
“Commercially available handheld electro-shockers pose a relevant risk of interaction when applied in proximity to cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs),” senior researcher Dr. Lars Eckardt, a cardiologist at University Hospital Muenster in Germany, said in a news release.
Researchers noted in background notes that over 1000 deaths occurred because of police tasers in the United States.
Researchers examined six different pacemaker models along with ten implantable cardioverter-defibrillators that came from various companies.
Did you know: Movies often misrepresent TASER technology on the big screen? 🍿⚡️
— Axon (@axon_us) April 8, 2025
️
Unlike Hollywood’s “instant knockout” scenes, TASER energy weapons don’t cause unconsciousness — they induce neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI) to help law enforcement safely gain control.
Get… pic.twitter.com/Wr9MZCDdp4
Veterinary experts placed all the medical devices beneath pig muscles during the dissection. A team member administered shocks to the pigs’ skin using three different taser devices to test how each implant reacted to the electric charge.
Laboratory researchers conducted their experiments using handheld tasers that came into direct skin contact instead of police taser pistols which deliver shocks through wired darts. Handheld Tasers are one of the devices which law enforcement officers use.
Disturbing Results: Devices Malfunctioned
Results demonstrate that the PowerMax taser delivered 500,000 volts of electricity which showed high potential for interaction with every tested heart implant.
All tested electrical devices stopped delivering stimulation due to the PowerMax device application. Results indicate that six out of the 10 IEDs used in testing detected the applied shock as if it were a rapid heart rate event.
Research findings indicate that tasers delivering electrical charges of 250,000 volts and 50,000 volts establish significantly lower interference risks for heart implants.
Research findings indicate that the 250,000-volt taser stopped stimulation functions in 10 16 tested devices.
The research team expressed surprise because they did not notice any substantial drop in the risk that Taser electric charges would disrupt the function of the devices when placed beneath the muscle.
Surprising Discovery: Body Location Didn’t Matter Much
Research findings demonstrated how a strong taser shock could disrupt heart implant operations by entering the body place outside the chest area, as reported by HealthDay.
“We expected the distance between the electro-shocker application and the CIED implantation site to have a greater impact on the risk of interaction than it did in the present study,” lead researcher Dr. Felix Wegner, a cardiologist at University Hospital Muenster, said in a news release.
“These unexpected findings indicate that electro-shocker applications to a large part of a patient with a CIED’s body may pose a relevant risk of interaction with the respective CIED,” Wegner added.