title: Site dependence of postmortem blood methadone concentrations.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, Baltimore 21201-1020, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Smialek
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D008691:Methadone