Cocaine-associated fetal death in utero.
Cocaine and its principle metabolite benzoylecgonine were quantitated in blood and liver in six cocaine-related deaths within the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's jurisdiction. Postmortem blood cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations ranged from 0 to 5.6 mg/L and 0.6 to 18.7 mg/L respectively. Postmortem liver concentrations ranged from 0 to 5.0 mg/kg and 0.4 to 24.1 mg/kg, respectively. All cases had benzoylecgonine concentrations greater than cocaine concentrations. Most alarming were the findings regarding the cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations in the case of a dead pregnant woman. The amniotic fluid cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations of 3.3 mg/L and 1.6 mg/L displayed at parent drug to metabolite ratio greater than 1.0 compared to the blood (0.30) and liver (0.21) ratios. This was likely indicative of very recent exposure.
Clinical Laboratories, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.
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Apple
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Roe
D000293:Adolescent; D003042:Cocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy
C005618:benzoylecgonine; D003042:Cocaine