Poster Presentations

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Analyses of subdural hematomata have been traditionally used to determine the ante mortem level of drugs and/or ethanol based on the assumption that the sequestered nature of materials within the hematoma makes them less subject to metabolism or degradation than in the freely circulating blood. Results derived from hematomata are presumed to more closely resemble the drug or alcohol concentration at the time of injury than those determined from postmortem blood. In a cautionary note, we report the case of an 87-year-old woman whose death was not reported to the coroner's office until after her body had been embalmed. The gross autopsy examination documented significant hypertension as well as a traumatic brain injury with a subdural hematoma causing a mass effect. Testing of the subdural clot revealed methanol (51.8 mg%), without additional analytes. There was no indication that the decedent had been poisoned with methanol. We postulate that methanol diffused into the clot after introduction with the embalming solution (consisting only of methanol and formaldehyde; no ethanol, isopropanol or acetone was contained in the preparation used). These findings suggest two cautions should be exercised regarding postmortem hematoma findings. First, methanol can be present in such postmortem samples in the absence of other low molecular weight alcohols (LMWAs) and acetone, and yet not re

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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