title: Sample pre-treatment for CO-oximetric determination of carboxyhaemoglobin in putrefied blood and cavity fluid.
abstract: Blood or blood-containing cavity fluid samples recovered from decomposed bodies in suspected carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning cases often have low total haemoglobin (tHb) levels or contain significant amounts of oily droplets, methaemoglobin (MetHb) and sulphaemoglobin (SHb), all conditions which render the validity of the measurements of carboxyhaemoglobin (HbCO) by commercially available CO-oximeters doubtful. Two sample pre-treatment methods, namely, centrifugal evaporation and addition of a commercially available standard haemoglobin solution containing a known level of HbCO, were developed to render such putrefied samples amenable to analysis by CO-oximeters. The methods developed were validated with samples of various degrees of putrefaction and various HbCO levels. The relative uncertainty of the determined HbCO levels as compared to their corresponding reference levels for the centrifugal evaporation method was approximately 5% and that for the standard addition method was <20%.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Sciences Division, Government Laboratory of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 7/F Ho Man Tin Government Offices, 88 Chung Hau Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Chau-Wing
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Lai-Kam
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Yim
authors.forename: David T W
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Jimmy C N
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tam
mesh_terms: D001826:Body Fluids / Q000378:metabolism; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010092:Oximetry / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin