ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 April 1980
Page Count: 3

Persistence of Morphine in Blood in Association with Hepatic Necrosis and Renal Tubular Necrosis
Wiseley, DV
Chief, Department of Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner, Calif

Nakamura, GR
Chief, Department of Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner, Calif

(Received 30 May 1979; accepted 19 October 1979)

Abstract

A case is reported in which a 26-year-old male survived in a hospital for 38 h after an intravenous heroin injection. Postmortem analysis showed 0.2 mg/100 ml morphine in the blood and 0.05 mg/100 g morphine in the liver. The persistence of morphine in the blood was attributed to the inability of damaged liver cells to take up the morphine and of the hypoxic kidney to excrete the compound.

Keywords:
toxicology, morphine, blood

Paper ID: JFS12137J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS12137J
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