An experimental methodology for the study of postmortem changes in toxic concentrations of drugs, using secobarbital as an example.

Author(s): Quatrehomme G, Bourret F, Liao Z, Ollier A

Affiliation(s): Laboratoire de Medecine Legale, Faculte de Medecine, Nice, France.

Publication date & source: 1994-09, J Forensic Sci., 39(5):1300-4.

Publication type:

Postmortem changes in alcohol and drug concentrations are well known today. The authors used an HPLC assay of barbiturates in postmortem tissue, and developed a rat model in order to evidence postmortem changes in toxics concentrations. Postmortem changes in secobarbital concentrations were evidenced using a rat-secobarbital model. This work emphasizes the difficulty of postmortem toxicology, as concentrations found at the time of autopsy may be different from concentrations at the time of death.