Head injuries, pentobarbital, and the determination of death.

Am J Forensic Med Pathol

Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.

Published: March 2009

The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office in San Antonio, Texas, has encountered 3 cases within a 15-month period involving decedents who were pronounced dead by brain death or cardiac death examination and who had elevated, if not toxic concentrations of pentobarbital present at the time of examination. The elevated levels of pentobarbital were discovered during an autopsy examination performed for medicolegal reasons. The diagnosis of brain death and the implications of pentobarbital intoxication during a brain death examination are discussed.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PAF.0b013e31818738ddDOI Listing

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