A pediatric fatality due to accidental hydromorphone ingestion.

Background: Death due to prescription opioid exposure has increased dramatically in North America. Currently, there is a lack of literature detailing potentially lethal doses as well as postmortem tissue analysis concentrations from prescription opioid fatalities in children. We report a pediatric hydromorphone fatality with postmortem peripheral blood, central blood, liver, and gastric concentrations.

Acute 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylcathinone (ethylone) intoxication and related fatality: a case report with postmortem concentrations.

A 30-year-old man reportedly ingested pills and used illicit drugs with another person. They both fell asleep that night and the following afternoon the other person found him dead. There were used hypodermic needles and a metal spoon with dark tarry substance at the death scene, and two recent puncture sites were found on his body.

Postmortem carisoprodol and meprobamate concentrations in blood and liver: lack of significant redistribution.

Carisoprodol is a therapeutic and occasionally abused centrally acting muscle relaxant. We compare central blood and liver concentrations of carisoprodol and the metabolite meprobamate to concentrations in peripheral blood in 11 medical examiner cases. Specimens were initially screened for alcohol and simple volatiles by gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detection headspace analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent array for drugs of abuse, and therapeutic drugs by GC-mass spectrometry (MS).

Case report: Oxymorphone-involved fatalities: a report of two cases.

There has been an increased awareness of illicit opiate abusers using the narcotic oxymorphone (Opana) by inhalation. Many laboratory screening techniques currently in use cannot detect oxymorphone in blood or urine. Consequently, biological specimens containing low to moderate concentrations of oxymorphone will likely go undetected.

The analysis of an intracerebral hematoma for drugs of abuse.

Toxicological investigations were performed on an intracerebral hematoma, antemortem blood, and postmortem blood of an individual who was found unresponsive in his home. The hematoma was found to have ethanol at a concentration of 0.05% (w/v), and benzoylecgonine (a cocaine metabolite) was also confirmed at a concentration of 0.