An Autopsy Case of Poisoning with Ethanol and Psychotropic Drugs
Authors:
Hiroshi Kinoshita *; Minori Nishiguchi *; Shogo Kasuda *; Harumi Ouchi *; Takako Minami *; Kiyoshi Matsui *; Takehiko Yamamura *; Hiroyuki Motomura **; Nao Ohtsu *; Shie Yoshida *; Nobuyuki Adachi *; Yasuo Aoki *; Yasushi Nagasaki ***; Kiyoshi Ameno ****; Shigeru Hishida *
Authors‘ workplace:
Department of Legal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan
*; Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters, 4-1, Shimoyamate -dori 5-chome, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-8510, Japan
**; Hyogo Medical Examiners Office, Kusunoki-cho 7-5-1, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017, Japan
***; Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Miki, Kagawa, 761-0793, Japan
****
Published in:
Soud Lék., 53, 2008, No. 2, p. 16-17
Overview
A case of fatal poisoning involving ethanol with psychotropic drugs is presented. Quantitative toxicological analysis showed that the concentrations of ethanol, amoxapine and phenobarbital in the femoral blood were 2.86 mg/ml, 0.41 μg/ml and 6.80 μg/ml, respectively. We concluded that the cause of death was due to the combination use of ethanol, amoxapine and phenobarbital.
Key words:
poisoning – ethanol – amoxapine – phenobarbital – drug interaction
Sources
1. Baselt RC. Amoxapine. In: Baselt RC (editor) Disposition of toxic drugs and chemicals in man (5th ed). Foster City, CA: Chemical Toxicology Institute, 2000, pp. 47-48.
2. Baselt RC. Phenobarbital. In: Baselt RC editor. Disposition of toxic drugs and chemicals in man (5th ed). Foster City, CA: Chemical Toxicology Institute, 2000, pp. 689-691.
3. Hobbs RH, Rall TW, Verdoorn TA. Hypnotics and sedatives; ethanol. In Hardman JG, Limberd LE, Molinoff PB. Ruddon RW, A. Goodman Gilman A editors. Goodman & Gilman’s The pharmacological basis of therapeutics (9th ed). New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995, pp. 361-396.
4. Kinoshita H, Taniguchi T, Kubota A, Nishiguchi M, Ouchi H, Minami T, Utsumi T, Motomura H, Nagasaki Y, Ameno K, Hishida S. An autopsy case of imipramine poisoning. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2005; 26: 271-274.
5. Koski A, Ojanpera, Vuori E. Interaction of alcohol and drugs in fatal poisonings. Hum Exp Toxicol 2003; 22: 281-287.
6. Kudo K, Inoue H, Ishida T, Tsuji A, Ikeda N. A fatal case of amoxapine poisoning under the influence of chronic use of psychotropic drugs. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2007; 9: 63-67.
7. Litovitz TL, Troutman WG. Amoxapine overdose, seizures and fatalities. JAMA 1983; 250: 1069-1071.
8. Pounder DJ, Jones GR. Post-mortem drug redistribution- A toxicological nightmare. Forensic Sci Int 1990; 45: 253-263.
9. Rohrig TP, Backer RC. Amoxapine overdose: report of two cases. J Anal Toxicol 1986; 10: 211-212.
10. Sedgwick P, Spiehler VR, Lowe DR. Toxicological finding in amoxapine overdose. J Anal Toxicol 1982; 6: 82-84.
11. Stead AH, Moffat AC. Quantification of interaction between barbiturates and alcohol and interpretation of fatal blood concentration. Hum Toxicol 1983; 2: 5-14.
12. Tasset JJ, Pesce AJ. Amoxapine in human overdose. J Anal Toxicol 1984; 8: 124-128.
13. Taylor RL, Crooks CR, Caplan YH. The determination of amoxapine in human fatal overdoses. J Anal Toxicol 1982; 6: 309-311.
14. Winek CL, Wahba WW, Rozin L. Amoxapine fatalities: three case studies. Forensic Sci Int 1984; 26: 33-38.
15. Winek CL, Wahba WW, Winek CL Jr, Balzer TW. Drug and chemical blood-level data 2001. Forensic Sci Int 2001; 122: 107-123.
Labels
Anatomical pathology Forensic medical examiner ToxicologyArticle was published in
Forensic Medicine
2008 Issue 2
Most read in this issue
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / Cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) as a Cause of Sudden Death
- An Autopsy Case of Poisoning with Ethanol and Psychotropic Drugs
- The Technological Screening of Beers, made in Slovak Republic, in the View of Forensic Alcohology