title: Fatal morphine poisoning in a child due to accidental oral ingestion.
abstract: A case of fatal intoxication of an 8 year old child due to accidental oral ingestion of morphine is presented. Following a tonsillectomy and release from the hospital the decedent was prescribed meperidine syrup 50 mg per teaspoon (tsp) to be taken 2 tsps every 4 h. A pharmacist when filling her prescription mistakenly dispensed Roxanol which contained 20 mg/ml morphine sulfate. She took 1 or 2 tsp of the prescription prior to bed and was found dead the next morning. Autopsy findings were unremarkable. Quantitation by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) yielded the following morphine results: blood, 0.128 mg/l; bile, 135 mg/l and stomach contents, 16 mg/l (2.3 mg total). Based upon the clinical history, autopsy and toxicology finding the cause of death was determined to be poisoning by morphine and the manner of death accidental.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0165, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poklis
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Edinboro
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Wohler
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Presswalla
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barron
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D002648:Child; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors; D009020:Morphine / Q000506:poisoning*
chemical_list: D009020:Morphine