Report of a fatal thiamylal intoxication

A fatality due to the intravenous administration of thiamylal is reported. Quantitation of the drug was accomplished by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and confirmation was by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Postmortem tissue concentrations of thiamylal were as follow: 129 mg/L in blood, 366 mg/kg in liver, and 116 mg/kg in brain. Thiamylal was not detected in the urine, gastric contents, or bile. Analytical caveats involving the quantitation of thiamylal are also discussed.