RESUMO
A 24-year-old man known to consume illegal drugs was found dead in his apartment. A reclosable plastic zipper bag containing several hundred milligrams of a brown powder was found close to the dead body and the first assumption of the investigators was death due to heroin intoxication. Therefore, a legal autopsy was ordered. The following toxicological analysis revealed ocfentanil in urine and in the brown powder. Four different approaches for the determination of the ocfentanil concentrations in peripheral whole blood are described. Enrichment of ocfentanil from the powder was realized. With this reference, it was possible to determine the ocfentanil concentration in the seized powder to be 0.91%. Concentrations of ocfentanil were also determined in the sampled body fluids using the standard addition procedure. In peripheral blood 9.1 µg/L, in heart blood 27.9 µg/L and in urine 480 µg/L were measured. In addition, the antidepressant citalopram, the neuroleptic quetiapine and cannabinoids were found in urine and subsequently quantified in peripheral blood.
Assuntos
Autopsia , Citalopram/toxicidade , Drogas Ilícitas/toxicidade , Piperidinas/toxicidade , Acetaminofen/sangue , Acetaminofen/toxicidade , Acetaminofen/urina , Líquidos Corporais/química , Calibragem/normas , Canabinoides/sangue , Canabinoides/toxicidade , Canabinoides/urina , Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Pressão , Citalopram/sangue , Citalopram/urina , Cromatografia Gasosa-Espectrometria de Massas/métodos , Humanos , Drogas Ilícitas/sangue , Drogas Ilícitas/urina , Masculino , Piperidinas/sangue , Piperidinas/urina , Fumarato de Quetiapina/sangue , Fumarato de Quetiapina/toxicidade , Fumarato de Quetiapina/urina , Espectrometria de Massas por Ionização por Electrospray , Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Here we report the case of a 70-year-old woman who committed suicide by cyanide poisoning. During resuscitation cares, she underwent an antidote treatment by hydroxocobalamin. Postmortem investigations showed marked bright pink discolouration of organs and fluids, and a lethal cyanide blood concentration of 43 mg/L was detected by toxicological investigation. Discolouration of hypostasis and organs has widely been studied in forensic literature. In our case, we interpreted the unusual pink coloration as the result of the presence of hydroxocobalamin. This substance is a known antidote against cyanide poisoning, indicated because of its efficiency and poor adverse effects. However, its main drawback is to interfere with measurements of many routine biochemical parameters. We have tested the potential influence of this molecule in some routine postmortem investigations. The results are discussed.
