title: Concentrations of free-morphine in peripheral blood after recent use of heroin in overdose deaths and in apprehended drivers.
abstract: The concentration of free-morphine was determined in peripheral (femoral) blood from heroin-related deaths and compared with the concentration in venous blood from impaired drivers. The presence of 6-MAM in blood or urine served as a biomarker for recent use of heroin. Males dominated over females (p<0.001) in both the autopsy cases (88%) and the drivers (91%), although their mean age was about the same 33-35 y (p>0.05). Concentrations of free-morphine in blood were not associated with age of heroin users in Sweden (p>0.05). The median concentration of free-morphine was higher in autopsy cases (0.24 mg/L, N=766) compared with apprehended drivers with 6-MAM in blood (0.15 mg/L, N=124, p<0.05), and appreciably higher than in drivers with 6-MAM in urine but not in blood (0.03 mg/L, N=1823, p<0.001). The free-morphine concentration was above 0.20mg/L in 65% of autopsy cases, 36% of drivers with 6-MAM in blood but only 1.4% of drivers with 6-MAM in urine. Poly-drug deaths had about the same concentrations of free-morphine in blood (0.24 mg/L, N=703) as heroin-only deaths (0.25 mg/L, N=63). The concentration of morphine in drug overdose deaths (median 0.25 mg/L, N=669) was about the same as in traumatic deaths among heroin users (0.23 mg/L, N=97). However, the concentration of morphine was lower when the deceased had consumed alcohol (0.18 mg/L, N=104) compared with taking a benzodiazepine (0.32 mg/L, N=94). The concentration distributions of free-morphine in blood in heroin-related deaths overlapped with the concentrations in impaired drivers, which makes the interpretation of toxicology results difficult without knowledge about tolerance to opiates in any individual case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Artillerigatan 12, SE-587 58 Linköping, Sweden. wayne.jones@rmv.se
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holmgren
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ahlner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood; D003061:Codeine / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D062787:Drug Overdose; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D003932:Heroin / Q000097:blood* / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009022:Morphine Derivatives / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D009294:Narcotics / Q000097:blood* / Q000506:poisoning*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D009022:Morphine Derivatives; D009294:Narcotics; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000431:Ethanol; D003932:Heroin; C026979:6-O-monoacetylmorphine; D003061:Codeine