title: [Validity of postmortem alcohol determination].
abstract: The aim of this study was to establish the confidence interval for the determination of alcohol in post-mortem material. The calculations in the study concern cases in which two blood samples had been taken from a dead body with the purpose of determining alcohol content of the blood. The confidence interval (calculated as twice the standard deviation) was found to be 0.50 per thousand. The study confirms the previously established slight decrease in the concentration of alcohol in the blood during the first hours after death. No post-mortem alcohol production was found to have taken place during the first 24 hours (approx.) if the body had been kept at a low temperature. It is concluded that a confidence interval of 0.50 per thousand should be applied in the evaluation of post-mortem alcohol determination. In cases of visible putrefaction of a corpse an individual assessment must be made.
authors.affiliation: Aarhus Universitet, Retsmedicinsk Institut.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D011180:Postmortem Changes
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
vernacular_title: Validiteten af postmortel alkoholbestemmelse.