Evaluation of post-mortem ethanol concentrations in pericardial fluid and bone marrow aspirate.
This study confirmed post-mortem ethanol concentrations in pericardial fluid and bone marrow aspirate in comparison with those in the blood in medicolegal autopsy cases (n = 140, within 48 h post-mortem). The specimens were examined by head-space gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Ethanol concentrations in the pericardial fluid (y) were approximately equivalent to those in peripheral blood (x): y = 0.99x + 0.02, n = 44, r = 0.972. A high stomach ethanol concentration (>10 mg/ml) appeared to mildly affect the pericardial levels. There was no significant interference in drowning cases. Ethanol concentrations in bone marrow aspirates (y) also showed a good correlation with those in the peripheral blood (x): y = 0.77 x + 0.02, n = 20, r = 0.981. A dissociation was observed in cases of delayed death from hemorrhagic/traumatic shock and elderly victims. These findings suggest that pericardial fluid and bone marrow aspirate can be used as an alternative material when adequate blood specimens are not available.
Maeda
Hitoshi
H
Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Abeno, Japan. legalmed@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
Zhu
Bao-Li
BL
Ishikawa
Takaki
T
Oritani
Shigeki
S
Michiue
Tomomi
T
Li
Dong-Ri
DR
Zhao
Dong
D
Ogawa
Masafumi
M
D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000737:chemistry*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000032:analysis*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis*; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D010496:Pericardium / Q000737:chemistry*; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D013270:Stomach / Q000737:chemistry
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol