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Thiopental suicide -- case report.

Clinical Toxicology

|January 1, 1975

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Thiopental was identified as the cause of a hospital employee's suicide. Forensic analysis confirmed lethal blood levels of thiopental using multiple advanced detection methods.

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Area of Science:

Forensic Toxicology
Analytical Chemistry

Background:

Thiopental is a barbiturate with anesthetic and sedative properties.
Accurate quantification and identification of drugs are crucial in forensic investigations.

Observation:

A hospital employee died by suicide.
Thiopental was suspected as the causative agent.

Findings:

Blood thiopental concentration was determined to be 27.9 mg% using ultraviolet spectrophotometry.
Gas chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, and infrared spectrophotometry confirmed the presence and identity of thiopental.

Implications:

This case highlights the importance of comprehensive toxicological analysis in determining cause of death.
The findings underscore the utility of multiple analytical techniques for reliable drug identification in forensic science.