%0 Journal Article %T A drug fatality involving kratom %J Journal of forensic sciences %D 2013 %A Neerman, Michael F. %A Frost, Randall E. %A Deking, Janine %V 58 %N Suppl 1 %P S278-9 %X A 17-year-old white man who showed no obvious signs of trauma was found unresponsive in bed and was pronounced dead at the scene. The decedent had a documented history of heroin abuse and chronic back pain and reportedly self-medicated with Kratom (mitragynine). The autopsy was remarkable only for pulmonary congestion and edema and a distended bladder, both of which are consistent with, though not diagnostic of, opiate use. A laboratory work-up revealed therapeutic levels of over-the-counter cold medications and benzodiazepines. However, of interest was a level of mitragynine at 0.60 mg/L. Given the facts of the case, the Medical Examiner certified the cause of death as "possible Kratom toxicity" and the manner of death was classified as "accident."

Language: en

%G en %I John Wiley and Sons %@ 0022-1198 %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.12009