Citation

Kintz P, Jamey C, Géraut A, Raul JS. Toxicol. Anal. Clin. 2015; 27(2): 117-120.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Société Française de Toxicologie Analytique, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.toxac.2015.03.110

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Baclofen has been widely prescribed in the treatment of spasticity. Since 2013, the drug has been approved as a novel pharmacotherapy for the treatment of alcoholism. The authors report the death of a 35-year-old woman, known as chronic excessive alcohol drinker, supposed to be under baclofen therapy. She was found by her mother, lying in her bed. The autopsy, performed 2 days after death, did not evidence traumatic wound, except some signs of drops that occurred some days before, under the influence of alcohol. Toxicological analyses demonstrated the absence of ethanol in blood, the absence of any drug of abuse and the presence of a large amount of baclofen. The drug was analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry after acetonitrile precipitation in presence of baclofen-d4, used as internal standard. Baclofen tested positive in femoral blood at 4149ng/mL, with no apparent drug redistribution, as the cardiac blood was tested at 3980ng/mL. Massive concentration was found in urine (99,189ng/mL), while bile (2747ng/mL) did not show drug sequestration. The hair specimen was tested for baclofen after methanol incubation on 3×2cm segment. The results (LOQ at 20pg/mg) have indicated that the subject was not under baclofen therapy at the time of death, on the opposite to the claims of the police forces. © 2015 Société Française de Toxicologie Analytique.

Language: fr

Keywords

adult; Intoxication; human; suicide; female; Analysis; autopsy; alcoholism; intoxication; Alcoholism; liquid chromatography; Baclofen; baclofen; blood analysis; Article; tandem mass spectrometry; Hair; Alcohol abstinence