Site dependence of postmortem blood methadone concentrations.
A case investigated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, identified methadone at a heart blood concentration of 2.4 mg/L and a subclavian blood concentration of 0.8 mg/L. Due to these discrepant results, a study was undertaken to determine whether such inconsistencies occurred in other methadone cases. Of the 15 cases studied, only four had heart blood and alternate blood concentrations within 20% of one another. In only 53% of the cases were variations of < 60% observed. The data failed to show a trend where one site was consistently higher or lower than the other site.
Levine
B
B
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, Baltimore 21201-1020, USA.
Wu
S C
SC
Dixon
A
A
Smialek
J E
JE
D000328:Adult; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000737:chemistry*; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000097:blood*; D010496:Pericardium / Q000737:chemistry; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D013350:Subclavian Vein / Q000737:chemistry; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014680:Veins / Q000737:chemistry; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000737:chemistry
D008691:Methadone