Citation

McIntyre IM, Mallett P, Burton CG, Morhaime J. J. Forensic Sci. 2014; 59(6): 1675-1678.

Affiliation

County of San Diego Medical Examiner's Office, 5570 Overland Avenue, Suite 101, San Diego, CA, 92123.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.12489

PMID

24697166

Abstract

A woman was found unresponsive with an empty bottle of Cogentin(®) prescribed to another. Admitted to an area hospital, her condition steadily declined until death 29 h after admission. Following toxicological screening on hospital (admission) whole blood, the only significant compound detected was benztropine. Benztropine was confirmed at 0.28 mg/L - the highest antemortem blood concentration recorded in a case of toxicity or fatality uniquely associated with benztropine. A second serum antemortem specimen showed a benztropine concentration of 0.19 mg/L. Despite over 24 h in the hospital, benztropine was also found in the postmortem specimens collected at autopsy. Peripheral blood, central blood, liver, and gastric concentrations were 0.47 mg/L, 0.36 mg/L, 9.6 mg/kg, and 44 mg, respectively. These results indicate that benztropine exhibited a potential difference between whole-blood and serum (plasma) concentrations. Additionally, in consideration of literature data, benztropine was found indicative of a compound prone to at least some postmortem redistribution.

Language: en