Encyclopedia of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Autopsy Findings: Postmortem Drug Sampling and Redistribution
Authors: Pounder, D.J.
Editors: Payne-James, J.
Pages: 348-353
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 9780128000557
Abstract:During the last 20–30 years significant advances have been made in the technology that can be used to detect drugs and poisons in human tissues obtained at autopsy. However, unless appropriate specimens are collected during the postmortem examination and are subsequently submitted to the toxicology laboratory in suitable containers and with sufficient preservatives, the laboratory analytical findings may lead to an incorrect interpretation of their significance. This chapter reviews the specimens required to enable reliable toxicological analyses to be performed and discusses the process of postmortem drug redistribution and its implications on the interpretation of the analytical results
Source: Manual