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Blood alcohol stability in postmortem blood samples
Davorka Sutlovic1, Maja Versic-Bratincevic, Marija Definis-Gojanovic
1From the *Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Centre Split; and †Department Forensic Medicine, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia.
The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology
|January 25, 2014
Summary
Long-term storage of postmortem blood samples generally maintains alcohol stability, but significant variations in ethanol concentration were observed in some cases, impacting forensic evidence reliability.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Toxicology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Accurate blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is crucial in forensic toxicology.
- Understanding alcohol stability in postmortem samples during long-term storage is essential for reliable evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of long-term storage on alcohol stability in postmortem blood samples.
- To assess the reliability of BAC measurements after extended storage periods.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-nine postmortem blood samples were analyzed for BAC shortly after collection.
- Samples were stored for 191 to 468 days.
- Reanalysis of BAC was performed, and results were compared to initial measurements.
Main Results:
- Good agreement was found between initial and reanalyzed BAC measurements for most samples (approx. 90% within 95% limits).
- A notable variation in ethanol concentration was observed in some samples.
- Deviations up to 10% in replicate measurements occurred in 39% of samples, deemed unacceptable for forensic evidence.
Conclusions:
- While generally stable, long-term storage of postmortem blood can lead to unacceptable variations in alcohol concentration for a significant portion of samples.
- The observed variability raises concerns about the use of stored postmortem blood for definitive forensic alcohol analysis.
