Citation

Mittleman RE, Cofino JC, Hearn WL. J. Forensic Sci. 1989; 34(2): 481-486.

Affiliation

Dade County Medical Examiner Department, Miami, FL.

Erratum On

J Forensic Sci 1989 Jul;34(4):807

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2708961

Abstract

Reports of cocaine-related obstetrical problems, including abruptio placentae and spontaneous abortion, have become increasingly evident in the medical literature; however, little is known about tissue distribution of cocaine in the pregnant woman. We report the toxicologic results of distribution studies performed on a pregnant woman and her fetus. Maternal/fetal cocaine concentration ratios were high when comparing blood (9:1), brain (6:5), and kidney (10:6). Possible explanations of the mechanism for lower fetal cocaine concentrations may include uterine vasoconstriction, incomplete maternal/fetal equalibration, or rapid placental/fetal clearance.

Language: en