NEW YORK (CNN) - Stun-gun maker Taser International said Friday that an independent study of the effects of one of its new devices, the Taser X26, found no significant heart rhythm abnormalities in volunteers subjected to its shock.

In a news release, Taser (Research) said that the study, conducted by three California doctors, evaluated cardiac changes in 24 volunteers by monitoring electrocardiogram readouts.

Preliminary results of the study were published as an abstract in a supplemental edition of Academic Emergency Medicine. The complete study will be presented at the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine at its Annual Meeting in New York during May 22-25, 2005.

While Tasers have not officially been blamed for any deaths, some 74 deaths have occurred after Taser use in the United States and Canada, prompting criticism from groups including Amnesty International, and calls for tougher regulation from the American Civil Liberties Union, among others.

The controversy has taken a toll on Taser's stock price, which has fallen from a high of more than $33 a share in January to just over $11 a share as of yesterday's close.

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By Caleb Silver CNN Business News