title: Evaluation of post-mortem ethanol concentrations in pericardial fluid and bone marrow aspirate.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Abeno, Japan. legalmed@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Bao-Li
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Takaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oritani
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Michiue
authors.forename: Dong-Ri
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol