Serum Troponin I Measurement of Subjects Exposed to the Taser X-26®

The Taser® is a high-voltage, low-amperage conducted energy device used by many law enforcement agencies as a less lethal force weapon. The objective of this study was to evaluate for a rise in serum troponin I level after deployment of the Taser® on law enforcement training volunteers. A prospective, observational cohort study was performed evaluating serum troponin I levels in human subjects 6 h after an exposure to the Taser X-26®. Outcome measures included abnormal elevation in serum troponin I level (> 0.2 ng/mL). There were 66 subjects evaluated. The mean shock duration was 4.36 s (range 1.2–5 s). None of the subjects had a positive troponin I level 6 h after exposure. It was concluded that human volunteers exposed to a single shock from the Taser® did not develop an abnormal serum troponin I level 6 h after shock, suggesting that there was no myocardial necrosis or infarction.