Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Fatal intoxication with melperone.

S Stein1, A Schmoldt, M Schulz

  • 1Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Hamburg, Butenfeld 34, 22529, Hamburg, Germany.

Forensic Science International
|September 9, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cancer prevalence and care disparities among individuals with intellectual disabilities: a cross-sectional pan-cancer analysis.

ESMO real world data and digital oncology·2026
Same author

Drug monitoring during ciprofloxacin prophylaxis of allogeneic stem cell transplant patients: associations with bacterial infections through a monocentric observational prospective study.

The Journal of hospital infection·2023
Same author

Neurosurgical treatment of pediatric brain tumors - results from a single center multidisciplinary setup.

Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery·2023
Same author

Increased Demand for Pharmaceutical Drugs Containing Potassium Iodide In Connection with the Russia-Ukraine Conflict.

Die Pharmazie·2023
Same author

Development and validation of the German translation of the views on inpatient care (VOICE-DE) outcome measure to assess service users' perceptions of inpatient psychiatric care.

Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England)·2022
Same author

A new cynodont from the Upper Triassic Los Colorados Formation (Argentina, South America) reveals a novel paleobiogeographic context for mammalian ancestors.

Scientific reports·2022
Same journal

Technical note: Development of a UHPLC-MS/MS method for the analysis of hCG and IGF-I from dried blood spots: A preliminary study.

Forensic science international·2026
Same journal

A novel and robust deep learning model for sibling firearm matching.

Forensic science international·2026
Same journal

Changes in C-reactive protein levels over time in high-temperature environments using postmortem blood.

Forensic science international·2026
Same journal

Insights from the first synthetic cannabinoid clandestine lab dismantled in Brazil.

Forensic science international·2026
Same journal

Determination of the new psychoactive substances MDMB-4en-PINACA, ADB-BUTINACA and some of their metabolites in blood and urine using DLLE-LC-MS/MS: application to real forensic case samples.

Forensic science international·2026
Same journal

The revolver halo as a forensic marker: Raman spectroscopic evidence of primer-driven gunshot residue deposition.

Forensic science international·2026
See all related articles

This case study reports the first known fatality involving melperone, a neuroleptic drug, with extremely high concentrations found in toxicological analysis. The investigation considered homicide or suicide, highlighting potential drug interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Toxicology
  • Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

  • Melperone is generally considered a safe neuroleptic medication with no prior reported fatalities.
  • Despite its use in suicide attempts, melperone has not previously been associated with a fatal outcome.

Observation:

  • A 36-year-old woman presented with an undetermined cause of death at autopsy.
  • Criminological investigation suggested homicide by poisoning, with suicide as a possibility.
  • Toxicological analysis revealed unprecedentedly high concentrations of melperone in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine.

Findings:

  • The toxicological analysis confirmed extremely high melperone levels, far exceeding previously reported concentrations.
  • Co-ingestion of diazepam, nordazepam, and carbamazepine was detected.

Related Experiment Videos

  • This case represents the first documented fatality linked to melperone overdose.

    • Implications:

    • This case establishes melperone as a potential cause of death, challenging its previous safety profile.
    • The presence of other substances necessitates further investigation into potential synergistic or antagonistic toxicological interactions.
    • Forensic and clinical toxicologists should consider melperone in cases of unexplained deaths, especially when co-ingested with other central nervous system depressants.