Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 15;20(1):20241123.
doi: 10.1515/med-2024-1123. eCollection 2025.

Development and validation of headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector method for the determination of ethanol in the vitreous humor

Filip Mihajlović  1 , Ivana Andrić  2 , Živana Slović  2   3 , Maja Vujović  4   5 , Kristina Piskulić  6 , Snežana Đorđević  7   8
Affiliations

Development and validation of headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector method for the determination of ethanol in the vitreous humor

Filip Mihajlović et al. Open Med (Wars). .

Abstract

Introduction: Qualitative and quantitative testing of ethanol in post-mortem samples is an important analytical procedure that provides accurate, precise, and reliable results. Given the complexity of the issue, obtaining a realistic picture of lifelong alcoholemia requires supporting blood ethanol findings with analyses of alternative samples, primarily vitreous humor (VH).

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop and validate a headspace gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (HS/GC-FID) method for determining ethanol concentration in VH.

Materials and methods: Conditions for the HS/GC-FID method were established and the method was validated according to the guidelines of the European Medicines Agency. Validation parameters such as precision, accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, and linearity over a wide concentration range were evaluated through statistical analysis.

Results: The method demonstrated precision, accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity. Additionally, it proved to be linear across a wide concentration range and relatively fast, making it suitable for rapid and routine determination of ethanol concentration in VH, particularly for forensic applications.

Conclusion: Results from validation and application of the method to VH samples indicate that ethanol concentration in VH can be reliably determined using the presented HS/GC-FID method, making it a valuable tool in forensic investigations.

Keywords: alcohol; alternative samples; instrumental methods; postmortem analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative chromatogram of ethanol in VH.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Calibration curve.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Sjögren H, Eriksson A, Ahlm K. Role of alcohol in unnatural deaths: A study of all deaths in Sweden. Acohol Clin Exp Res. 2000;24:1050–6. 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2000.tb04649.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boumba VA. Modeling postmortem ethanol production/insights into the origin of higher alcohols. Molecules. 2022;27(3):700. 10.3390/molecules27030700. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jones AW, Pounder DJ. Measuring blood-alcohol concentration for clinical and forensic purposes. In: Karch SB, editor. Drug abuse handbook. 5.2, Boca Raton: CRC press; 1998. p. 327–56.
    1. Greene N, Esser MB, Vesselinov R, Auman KM, Kerns TJ, Lauerman MH. Variability in antemortem and postmortem blood alcohol concentration levels among fatally injured adults. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2021;47(1):84–91. 10.1080/00952990.2020.1822856. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kugelberg FC, Jones AW. Interpreting results of ethanol analysis in postmortem specimens: a review of the literature. Forensic Sci Int. 2007;165(1):10–29. 10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.05.004. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources