title: Hydroxycarbazepine distribution in three postmortem cases.
abstract: This paper presents three cases investigated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where hydroxycarbazepine, the active metabolite of the anticonvulsant prodrug oxcarbazepine, was detected in the biological specimens submitted for toxicological analysis. Hydroxycarbazepine was quantitated using a single-step pH 5 extraction and detection on a DB-5 column by gas chromatography-nitrogen-phosphorus detection. In the three cases, the heart blood concentrations were 34.6, 40.5, and 3.7 mg/L, respectively. In cases 2 and 3, the peripheral blood concentrations were 36 and 4.1 mg/L, respectively. In each case, the medical examiner ruled that the hydroxycarbazepine was an incidental finding to the cause of death.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, 111 Penn Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Green-Johnson
authors.forename: Karla A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Fowler
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000506:poisoning; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000506:poisoning; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine; D013405:Suicide; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: C039775:10,11-dihydro-10-hydroxycarbamazepine; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002220:Carbamazepine; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine