[A fatal case due to intoxication with seven drugs detected by GC-MS and TDx methods]

Abstract

A twenty-year-old woman was suspected to ingest large amounts of 4 kinds of over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic drugs, and was found dead. Drugs and poisons were screened by TOXI-LAB drug detection system in the serum and urine, and analyzed by GC-MS and TDx system in the blood, urine, organ tissues and contents of stomach and small intestine. The concentrations (microgram/g) of bromisovalum, apronalide, ibuprofen, ethenzamide, acetaminophen and caffeine in the heart blood were 36.5, 7.58, 43.1, 16.9, 1.22 and 177, respectively. Salicylic acid concentration in the serum was 82.1 micrograms/ml. The concentrations of bromisovalum and caffeine are high enough to be lethal levels. Neither fatal pathological findings nor traumatic wounds were seen. The overdose of both bromisovalum and caffeine and synergistic, additive or combined effects of other 5 drugs above are considered to be her cause of death.