Determination of ketone bodies in postmortem blood by head-space gas chromatography

A method describing determination of the physiological ketone bodies: acetone, acetoacetate, and D-beta-hydroxybutyrate in postmortem blood by head-space gas chromatography. The method involves enzymic dehydrogenation of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate into acetoacetate and quantitative conversion of acetoacetate into acetone. The recoveries of acetone, acetoacetate and D-beta-hydroxybutyrate were 94-100%, 88-104% and 83-91%, respectively.