Pacemaker/defibrillator evaluation at Los Angeles County Department of Coroner*.

Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are implanted medical devices for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. These devices are now commonly encountered in the postmortem situation. The Los Angeles County Department of the Coroner uses the services of a cardiac electrophysiology consultant to interrogate pacemakers and ICDs, producing a detailed picture of the cardiac events recorded by the device.

Oxycontin: the concept of a "ghost pill" and the postmortem tissue distribution of oxycodone in 36 cases.

Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic opioid that is structurally similar to codeine and equipotent to morphine in producing analgesic effects. Oxycodone has been prescribed in many immediate-release formulations including Percodan, Percocet, Tylox, Roxicodone, and Toxicet. In 1995, the Food and Drug Administration approved Oxycontin, a controlled-release form of oxycodone.