A drug fatality involving Kratom.
A 17-year-old white man who showed no obvious signs of trauma was found unresponsive in bed and was pronounced dead at the scene. The decedent had a documented history of heroin abuse and chronic back pain and reportedly self-medicated with Kratom (mitragynine). The autopsy was remarkable only for pulmonary congestion and edema and a distended bladder, both of which are consistent with, though not diagnostic of, opiate use. A laboratory work-up revealed therapeutic levels of over-the-counter cold medications and benzodiazepines. However, of interest was a level of mitragynine at 0.60 mg/L. Given the facts of the case, the Medical Examiner certified the cause of death as "possible Kratom toxicity" and the manner of death was classified as "accident."
Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, 7337 Louis Pasteur Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA. Michael.Neerman@bexar.org
Michael F
MF
Neerman
Randall E
RE
Frost
Janine
J
Deking
D000293:Adolescent; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D062787:Drug Overdose; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D032065:Mitragyna / Q000506:poisoning*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning*; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000473:pathology; D046948:Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D046948:Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids; C001801:mitragynine