title: "Bath Salts" the New York City Medical Examiner Experience: A 3-Year Retrospective Review.
abstract: "Bath salts" are synthetic derivatives of cathinones, compounds found in the leaves of Catha edulis, which possesses amphetamine-like properties. At the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, we conducted a 3-year retrospective analysis of deaths in which cathinones were detected. Two categories emerged; those in which cathinones were a contributory cause of death (15 cases) and those in which they were an incidental finding (15 cases). Of the former group, 13 were associated with additional intoxicants; two deaths were attributed solely to cathinone intoxication, both survived 10 h: a man whose postmortem blood methylone concentration was 0.71 mg/L and a woman whose postmortem blood ethylone concentration was 1.7 mg/L. In the latter category, there were several individuals who had higher concentrations of cathinones than the above two, the highest being a blood methylone of 4.8 mg/L. Based upon our data and the literature presented, lethal concentrations of cathinones cannot be established.
authors.affiliation: New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Department of Forensic Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: deRoux
authors.affiliation: Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, Office of Chief Medical Examiner, 520 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality; D000328:Adult; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000097:blood; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003334:Coroners and Medical Examiners; D015198:Designer Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality*; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D015198:Designer Drugs; D013287:Illicit Drugs; C023665:cathinone
keywords: bath salts; cathinone; drug deaths; ethylone; forensic science; methylenedioxymethamphetamine; methylone