title: Quantitative analysis of amphetamine in femoral blood from drug-poisoning deaths compared with venous blood from impaired drivers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Amphetamine is a major drug of abuse worldwide. Here we compare the concentrations of this stimulant amine in femoral blood in drug fatalities with venous blood from impaired drivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Amphetamine was determined in blood by isotope-dilution GC-MS after liquid-liquid extraction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Amphetamine was the only drug identified in 36 fatalities at mean (median) and highest concentrations of 2.0 mg/l (1.5 mg/l) and 14.0 mg/l. In multiple-drug deaths (n = 383), the concentrations were 0.94 mg/l (0.4 mg/l) and 13.3 mg/l. In impaired drivers with amphetamine as the only drug (n = 6138), the concentrations were 1.0 mg/l (0.8 mg/l) and 11.9 mg/l, compared with 0.78 mg/l (0.6 mg/l) and 22.3 mg/l in multidrug users (n = 8250).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fatal amphetamine poisonings cannot be identified on the basis of the concentration in blood alone, owing to the development of tolerance and the toxicity of co-ingested substances.
authors: Department of Forensic Genetics & Forensic Toxicology, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Linköping, Sweden. wayne.jones@rmv.se
authors: Alan Wayne
authors: AW
authors: Jones
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Holmgren
authors: Johan
authors: J
authors: Ahlner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000097:blood* / Q000506:poisoning*; D001334:Automobile Driving; D003933:Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011041:Poisoning / Q000401:mortality; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*; D014680:Veins
chemical_list: D000661:Amphetamine