Comparison of ethanol concentrations in right cardiac blood, left cardiac blood and peripheral blood in a series of 30 cases.
The aim of this study was to compare ethanol concentrations in right cardiac blood, left cardiac blood and peripheral blood. Samples were taken from a series of 30 medicolegal autopsies. Ethanol was measured by headspace GC-FID. In each case, the degree of putrefaction, chest or abdominal injury, and/or regurgitation of gastric contents into the airways were noted. Our results show that there exists in certain cases a marked increase in ethanol concentration in left cardiac blood compared with right cardiac blood and peripheral blood. In these cases, we observed (i) a high concentration of ethanol in the gastric contents and (ii) regurgitation of gastric contents into the airways. The authors discuss the post-mortem redistribution mechanisms which could explain these results and stress the value of sampling right cardiac blood at autopsy.
Pelissier-Alicot
Anne-Laure
AL
Service de Médecine Légale, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, F-13385 Marseille, France. apelissier@ap-hm.fr
Coste
Nicolas
N
Bartoli
Christophe
C
Piercecchi-Marti
Marie-Dominique
MD
Sanvoisin
Alain
A
Gouvernet
Joanny
J
Leonetti
Georges
G
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003331:Coronary Vessels; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D011180:Postmortem Changes
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol