title: [Suicide with acetylsalicylic acid].
abstract: The authors report on a suicide of a 41-year-old man with acetylsalicylic acid. According to his own statement the man had taken about 200 tablets of Aspirin (65 g acetylsalicylic acid) and initially showed no symptoms of intoxication. 4-5 hours after ingestion he vomited twice, but clear intoxication symptoms like convulsions and cardiac arrhythmia occurred not earlier than 11 hours after ingestion. Resuscitation by the emergency physician was not successful. The chemical-toxicological analysis (HPLC-DAD) of blood samples taken in the hospital approximately 12 h after ingestion showed salicylate in concentrations of 475 mg/L to 557 mg/L. The post-mortem concentrations of salicylate were within the lethal-toxic range, i.e. 762 mg/L in heart blood and 215 mg/L in femoral blood. All tested organs contained equally lethal salicylate levels (e.g. 503 mg/L in the liver and 251 mg/L in the brain).
authors.affiliation: Institut für Rechtsmedizin der Universität Bonn.
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wollersen
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Preuss
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thierauf
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Musshoff
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Madea
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001241:Aspirin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000506:poisoning*; D001344:Autopsy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D013405:Suicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
chemical_list: D001241:Aspirin