Citation

Sims DN, Lokan RJ, James RA, Felgate PD, Felgate HE, Gardiner J, Vozzo DC. Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. 1999; 20(4): 343-346.

Affiliation

Forensic Science SA, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10624927

Abstract

In the investigation of drug-related deaths it is occasionally necessary to examine putrefied bodies. In such cases the availability of conventional body fluids for toxicologic analysis is usually limited, whereas blood-stained pleural effusion is often present in adequate quantity in the pleural cavity. Fifty-five cases involving numerous drugs are presented in which pleural effusion drug concentrations are compared with corresponding blood or liver concentrations. More than 90% of comparisons produced coincident interpretations of the role that drugs played in the deaths. In most instances pleural effusion analysis was shown to be a valid alternative to the analysis of blood or other conventional fluids or tissues in cases exhibiting advanced putrefaction.

Language: en