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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Fortuitous therapeutic effect of Taser shock for a patient in atrial fibrillation
Kyle A Richards1, L Peter Kleuser, Jeffrey Kluger
1Department of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06102, USA. Krichards@harthosp.org
Abstract:
Neuromuscular incapacitating devices are used by law enforcement and military forces worldwide. The most frequently used of these devices are from Taser International. Although they are regarded as a less than lethal alternative, there have been several case reports aimed at linking the potential causal relationship of a shock from a neuromuscular incapacitating device and sudden cardiac death caused by induced ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. In this report, we describe the first known account in which a neuromuscular incapacitating device had a temporal relationship to a more positive therapeutic outcome for a patient.
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