Gas chromatographic examination of postmortem specimens after maprotiline intoxication

Ingestion of an unknown quantity of Ludiomil (maprotiline)-costed tablets in a suicide is described. Although maprotiline is known for over 20 years now, relatively few cases of intoxications due to maprotiline overdose have been reported. The authors report a new and quick method to analyze and determine maprotiline and N-desmethylmaprotiline concentration in body fluids and postmortem specimens. The analytes and an internal standard (amitriptyline) were extracted from alkalinized samples into ethyl acetate before GC-NPD analysis. The proposed method resulted in a rapid procedure most useful in cases of deliberate poisoning with the tetracyclic antidepressant drug Ludiomil.