Instability of pancuronium in postmortem blood and liver taken after a fatal intramuscular Pavulon injection

Forensic Science International : Synergy
Maria Kała, Wojciech Lechowicz

Abstract

The present study was designed to determine the stability of pancuronium in postmortem blood and liver during storage. Results were obtained using the method by Kerskes et al. [C.H.M. Kerskes, K.J. Lusthof, P.G.M. Zweipfenning, J.P. Franke, The detection and identification of quaternary nitrogen muscle relaxants in biological fluids and tissues by ion-trap LC-ESI-MS, J. Anal. Toxicol. 26 (2002) 29-34.], modified and validated in our laboratory. Target analytes were isolated after enzymatic hydrolysis followed by solid phase extraction (BondElut C18 column). Internal standardisation was carried out using laudanosine and the target ions were monitored by LC-ESI-MS (monitoring ions m/z 358 for IS and 286 for pancuronium). Materials were taken from a 46-year-old woman, who had been found dead. A syringe (2 ml) and an empty ampoule of Pavulon (4 mg/2 mL) were found in her hand. The residual volume of fluid in the syringe was 0.7 ml. An autopsy was performed six days after death. It revealed a needle mark on the left thigh. Postmortem materials (muscle from the injection site, blood and liver) and the syringe with fluid were stored for four months in a freezer at -20 degrees C. The initial pancuronium concentrations were 81 ng/mL in ...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1975·Critical Care Medicine·E F Anderson, M H Rosenthal
Mar 1, 1997·Journal of Analytical Toxicology·E MeyerA De Leenheer
Dec 1, 1998·Journal of Chromatography. B, Biomedical Sciences and Applications·H GaoF Varin
Feb 24, 2001·International Journal of Legal Medicine·P KintzB Ludes

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Citations

Jun 29, 2006·Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry·Vesna P Stankov-JovanovićVioleta D Mitić
Apr 13, 2007·Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry·Frank T Peters
Jun 9, 2006·Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo·Slobodan NikolićAndelka Spasić
Mar 28, 2007·Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis·V P Stankov-JovanovicV D Mitic

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