NCJ Number
138357
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1992) Pages: 1186-1189
Date Published
1992
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This report describes a death from self-administered propofol, an intravenous induction agent for anesthesia, in a 29-year-old female radiographer; it is the first published account of death by propofol overdose.
Abstract
The deceased was found slumped over a bed in the main bedroom of her home. A hypodermic needle attached to a length of surgical tubing was found inserted in the dorsum of the right foot. Two empty ampoules of Diprivan, several new and used syringes, and two used ampoules of sodium chloride solution were found next to the body. Internal macroscopic examination showed no pathological abnormality in the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, or hemopoietic systems. The lungs were moderately congested with occasional petechial hemorrhages on the pleural surface. The brain showed diffuse postmortem softening but no focal lesions were identified. Propofol was extracted from postmortem blood, liver homogenate, and muscle homogenate, and from both unhydrolyzed and glucuronidase- hydrolyzed urine. Propofol was detected in viscera using high performance liquid chromatography. It gave a sharp peak, eluting at 5 minutes resolved from other components in the chromatogram. Postmortem femoral blood and liver concentrations of propofol were 0.22 mg/L and 1.4 mg/kg, respectively. It was determined that a dose of 400 mg was used. Propofol was detected in large amounts in muscle tissue around the needle taken from the right dorsum, and was also detected in the needle and surgical tubing. The coroner determined that the deceased died from an overdose of propofol and that there was no indication of suicide. 6 references and 1 table