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Postmortem drug analysis: analytical and toxicological aspects.

Olaf H Drummer1, Jim Gerostamoulos

  • 1Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, 57-83 Kavanagh Street, Southbank, Melbourne, Australia 3006. olaf@vifp.monash.edu.au

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
|March 19, 2002
PubMed
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Systematic toxicological analysis of postmortem specimens reveals common extraction and detection methods. Drug stability and postmortem redistribution significantly impact interpretation of results in forensic toxicology.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Toxicology
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Postmortem Medicine

Background:

  • Systematic toxicological analysis is crucial for interpreting drug presence in postmortem investigations.
  • Review of publications over the last decade highlights common methodologies and challenges in analyzing postmortem specimens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review publications on the analysis of postmortem specimens for drugs, focusing on systematic toxicological analysis.
  • To identify common extraction and detection techniques, and discuss challenges specific to postmortem samples.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of publications from the past 10 years focusing on postmortem drug analysis.
  • Analysis of extraction techniques, detection methods (HPLC, LC-MS), and immunoassay adaptations.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Consideration of specimen types including blood, liver, solid tissues, and fly larvae.

    • Main Results:

    • Traditional solvent extraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with multichannel wavelength detection are most common.
    • Few assay differences exist between postmortem and other forensic toxicology samples unless tissues are substantially decomposed.
    • Drug stability is reduced in postmortem specimens, particularly for cocaine, heroin, and certain psychiatric medications; postmortem redistribution is a significant artifact.

    Conclusions:

    • Standard toxicological assays are applicable to most postmortem specimens, with modifications needed for decomposed samples.
    • Immunoassays adapted from urine may have less reliable cutoff values for blood and tissue analysis.
    • Understanding drug stability and postmortem artifacts like redistribution is essential for accurate interpretation of drug concentrations and effects.