Well no shit. Who would have thought zapping someone with thousands of volts of electricity could possibly damage their heart? What will they think of next?

May 2, 2008

As a British Columbia inquiry begins next week into the use of tasers, a new research paper suggests that zapping a person with a stun gun can potentially lead to a dangerously rapid irregular heartbeat that could be fatal.

Contrary to current views that tasers only affect skeletal muscles, University of Toronto researchers write in the latest Canadian Medical Association Journal that the short electrical pulses can stimulate the heart in specific circumstances.

“In our view, it is inappropriate to conclude that stun gun discharges cannot lead to adverse cardiac consequences in all real world settings,” the authors noted.

The use of tasers came under scrutiny last fall when Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, 40, was seen on amateur video screaming and writhing on the floor at Vancouver airport after he was tasered by Mounties. His death and the public outrage that quickly followed prompted a national debate on the use of the stun guns and sparked several probes, including one that will commence Monday in Vancouver with a series of public forums.

Read the rest of the article here.