Search

For a better understanding of circumstantial and toxicological findings of fatalities resulting from self-administration of intravenous anesthetic/narcotic agents, medico-legal autopsy files of the State Institute of Legal and Social Medicine Berlin from 1998 to 2011 were reviewed retrospectively. Of a total of 15,300 autopsies, 9 cases of such deaths were identified, and all were health care professionals. Medical supplies for injection were found still on, or near, the body at the scene. Anesthetic/narcotic agents detected were classified into 3 categories, and administered solely or in combination. Propofol was the most common agent, being detected in 6 cases. In 2 out of 6 cases, propofol was detected substantially above therapeutic levels and was considered the cause of death. In the remaining 4 cases, propofol levels were within the therapeutic range, but propofol intoxication was considered as lethal due to it being administered by rapid continuous injection. In 5 cases, injection of opioid narcotics was fatal. Alongside the 2 propofol-detected cases, there was one case where a higher-than-therapeutic level of piritramide and a therapeutic level of alfentanil was identified. Despite suspected usage, remifentanil was not detected due to its rapid metabolism by elastases in one case, and sufentanil was undetectable due to putrefaction in another, but death was attributed to their potent respiratory depressant effects without respiratory assistance. Benzodiazepines were detected in 4 cases. All of them were used together with propofol or opioids, and contributed to death by inhibiting respiration. It is essential to consider means of administration as well as additive or synergistic effects of combined agents when interpreting toxicological results in such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Phenprocoumon is a derivative of coumarin, used as a preventative anticoagulant and in the treatment of thromboembolisms. On account of its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, strict surveillance of the patient is necessary. We report on two cases of undocumented administration of this active pharmaceutical ingredient. A 57-year-old woman was discovered by her husband in an inanimate state. The post-mortem examination revealed many extensive haematomas. On account of a suspicion of third-party negligence, an autopsy was performed the same day, during which was established that the cause of death was a clotting abnormality, the cause of which remained unclear. Toxicological analyses revealed a concentration of phenprocoumon of 7.8mg/l. A 76-year-old man admitted himself to hospital immediately upon returning from a stay abroad. In hospital, extensive haematomas and a massive clotting abnormality (prothrombin ratio<10%) were discovered. A blood sample taken the following day yielded evidence of a phenprocoumon concentration of 3.1mg/l. According to his general practitioner, no corresponding medications had been prescribed. Suspicion of foul play in the introduction of this active agent resulted in a police investigation. Both cases demonstrate the necessity of toxicological analyses in cases of clotting abnormalities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nicotine, a lipid-soluble alkaloid obtained from the dried leaves of Nicotiana, is most frequently encountered in tobacco products for smoking, chewing or sniffing as well as in a limited number of pesticides. Though nicotine is one of the most toxic drugs of abuse, it has rarely led to fatalities. Sudden death can be caused by cardiovascular arrest, respiratory muscle paralysis and/or central respiratory failure. A 42-year-old man was found dead by his wife. He was lying on the floor, next to a box containing many empty bottles of beer and vodka. Some labeled chemical bottles found at the scene contained various substances, including nicotine and brucine. Gross examination of the organs at autopsy revealed no specific findings. The toxicological examination failed to disclose any lethal toxic agents other than a high concentration of nicotine and its primary metabolite cotinine in femoral venous blood (2.2μg/mL). Blood alcohol was determined to be 2.1g/L in femoral venous blood. Only a paucity of fatal cases of nicotine poisoning has been reported in the literature so far. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]