title: Postmortem redistribution of lidocaine after epidural injection in beagle dogs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An animal model using beagle dog has been established to investigate the postmortem redistribution of lidocaine.
  
  
  METHODS
  18 dogs were euthanized and injected lidocaine (13 mg/kg) via epidural immediately. An autopsy was performed at 0, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 hours after drug administration. All animals were stored in supine position at room temperature. For the other groups, lidocaine was given via epidural 6, 12, 24 hours after dogs were euthanized. Followed treatments were as above described. All samples were treated for detection of the concentration of lidocaine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that lidocaine could diffuse via blood vessel rapidly post administration. And the concentration of lidocaine in the blood from ventriculus sinister increased obviously in a time-dependent manner. Meanwhile, the postmortem tissue distribution of lidocaine was significantly different. However, the process of postmortem redistribution of lidocaine was obviously delayed in dogs which were given drugs after death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Together results revealed the process of postmortem redistribution of lidocaine via epidural injection, and provided the method to distinguish the lidocaine-induced death and drug administration after death.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine of Shanxi Medical University Taiyuan 030001, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University Taiyuan 030001, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital Taiyuan 030001, China.
authors.forename: Chendan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine of Shanxi Medical University Taiyuan 030001, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine of Shanxi Medical University Taiyuan 030001, China.
authors.forename: Keming
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yun
keywords: Lidocaine; anesthesia accidents; postmortem redistribution