title: Tissue distribution of xylazine in a suicide by hanging.
abstract: Xylazine (Rompun, Sedazine, AnaSed) is currently the most commonly used sedative-analgesic in veterinary medicine. There are nine published cases of xylazine's involvement in human drug-related deaths and impairment. However, blood concentrations were reported in only four of these cases. Three of these nine cases were fatalities involving xylazine, two of which involved xylazine alone but did not report blood concentrations because of extensive decomposition of the bodies. This report documents a case in which xylazine alone was identified in a suicide by hanging. The following xylazine concentrations were found: 2.3 mg/L in heart blood; 2.9 mg/L in peripheral (subclavian) blood; 6.3 mg/L in bile; 0.01 mg/L in urine; 6.1 mg/kg in liver; and 7.8 mg/kg in kidney.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, 111 Penn Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Karla A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Mary G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ripple
authors.forename: Saffia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakinedzad
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Fowler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D001646:Bile / Q000378:metabolism; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000652:urine; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D013405:Suicide; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014991:Xylazine / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D014991:Xylazine