TASER(®) Electronic Control Device-Induced Rhabdomyolysis and Renal Failure: A Case Report

Many law enforcement agencies around the United States are employing the use of TASER(®) electronic control devices (TASER(®) International Inc.) to subdue combative suspects. Since its inception the TASER(®) has had a temporal association with reports of rhabdomyolysis. Case reports have reported TASER(®) induced rhabdomyolysis as mild but serious cases have also been reported. Herein we present the case of a single patient who was admitted to our health network with severe rhabdomyolysis after receiving TASER(®) shocks and review the pertinent literature. No direct link has been established between clinically significant rhabdomyolysis and TASER(®) device application but this case serves as an example of a sparsely documented but serious complication that may occur in patients who are at risk for restraint by an electronic control device.