Project Supplement "Injuries Produced by Law Enforcement Use of Less Lethal Weapons" (2004-IJ-CX-K047)

The first task under this project will be to do a pilot of 1-2 sites to determine the feasibility of US site participation in an important trial of excited delirium and unexpected death in police custody. A Canadian/US research group has designed this trial that involves prospective case identification and medical / law enforcement record review and abstraction using a trial design similar to the LLW study. These funds will be used for the US portion of this study. Expansion of the current trial to include this pilot project will allow investigators to integrate US research regulations and oversight boards with the study as currently designed and to determine whether regulatory, logistical, and organizational issues can be successfully navigated.

The second task will develop a prototype device that will automatically detect and store an electrocardiogram (EKG) after every use of a conducted energy weapon (CEW). The development of an EKG-enhanced CEW will allow assessment of the immediate post-CEW cardiac activity in real world subjects. This includes individuals with drug intoxication, metabolic abnormalities, excited delirium, and other risks for susequent unexpected in-custody death that cannot be replicated in a laboratory or training environment. In addition, the development of an enhanced CEW that automatically performs cardiac safety monitoring and notifies users of any potentially dangerous rhythms that occur would be a significant step forward in terms of medical safety and protection of suspects.
nca/ncf