From March 14, in 18 Italian cities, the police will have electric taser pulse pistols at their disposal. Just under 4,500 guns purchased in July will be distributed to Police, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza who will be able to use them in the metropolitan cities of Rome, Turin, Milan, Venice, Genoa, Bologna, Florence, Bari, Cagliari, Naples, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Messina and Catania) and four provincial capitals (Caserta, Brindisi, Reggio Emilia and Padua). In Italy the taser guns had already been tested, not without problems. In the US, where they are often used to immobilize, there have already been over 100 victims. This is because the taser can interfere with some medical devices, such as the pacemaker.
A high voltage discharge
The device, which is a prevention tool, could therefore turn into a deadly weapon. “The classic defibrillator – he explains Maurizio Santomauro, director of the Cardiostimulation center of the Federico II Polyclinic of Naples and president of the Giec (Cardiological Emergency Intervention Group) – delivers electric current through two electrodes applied to the chest, and serves to restore the rhythm in a subject whose heart has suddenly stopped . The Taser electric gun, on the other hand, fires two darts connected by electric wires which, in turn, produce a high voltage discharge (generally 50 thousand volts), but with low amperage (between 6 and 10 milliamps), released in very short close pulses (of 4 or 5 microseconds, with peaks up to 6 amps at a rate of approximately 15 pulses per second). To achieve the desired effect, both darts must hit the target. And it is precisely these impulses that are potentially responsible for a cardiac arrhythmia as well as for the contraction of peripheral muscles “.
Effect contrary to the defibrillator
Therefore, with the immobilization of the muscles, in fact, it is possible to temporarily paralyze (for five seconds) a suspected criminal and thus avoid the use of firearms. “The fact remains that if the subject is cardiopathic or toxic addicted – adds Santomauro – the Taser could prove to be lethal. Even if those who use it have no intention of killing”. The deadly effect that no one can a priori exclude “is the opposite of the semiautomatic defibrillator which is a life-saving device, while the discharge emitted by the Taser can cause death, in particular conditions”. But what to do then? “As in Switzerland, it would be useful if the police forces also had a defibrillator in their car in order to be able to intervene promptly in the case of serious arrhythmias induced by electrical stimuli. Calling 118 and waiting for the ambulance times would not allow us to intervene in time “.
Scientific studies
Among other things, a note was sent from the Ministry of the Interior addressed to the experts of the Ministry of Health to find out about any risks related to the use of the electric gun. A request for clarification which, however, would not have had any response. “Since 2001, the date of acquisition by Taser in North America – recalls Santomauro – there have been over one hundred suspected and never ascertained cases of death”. Obviously, these are certain numbers because they are the result of scientific studies published on Circulation, the Bible of overseas cardiologists. In May 2012 the magazine published a work entitled “Sudden cardiac arrest and death associated with application of shocks from a Taser electronic control device” signed by Dr. Zipes. It reported the cases of several people immobilized by the electric gun who would suffer cardiac arrest in the following hours, sometimes proving to be fatal. The documented arrests would have been caused by ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation.
Beware of online purchases
In 2016, however, recalls Santomauro, the group of researchers led by Professor Mark Krollalways published on Circulation an interesting analysis on 12 suspected deaths entitled “Taser and cardiac arrest: coincidental or causal?”. The scientific debate is still in its infancy. “As a cardiologist, however, I would also like to warn the institutions: beyond the use of the police to ensure the safety of citizens, it is essential to stem the online purchase of the Taser” to have the specialist. “The Taser is advertised as a self-defense system and as a non-lethal weapon, while it can have very dangerous consequences. And for this reason, the Giec will shortly forward an official document drawn up by a team of arrhythmology experts to the Higher Institute of Health, to be regulated the sale on the net and the unconditional use of one’s own weapon, as defined by Italian law. The Taser electric pistol causes muscle damage, and therefore also to the heart, in non-cardiopathic people. It could also interfere with some medical devices , such as pacemaker or implantable defibrillator (Icd) “.