NCJ Number
208586
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 50 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 192-195
Date Published
January 2005
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study involved a retrospective review of cases investigated by the Palm Beach County (Florida) Medical Examiner's Office in which postmortem toxicological studies indicated the presence of oxycodone.
Abstract
Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic opioid analgesic that is used therapeutically to manage moderate or severe pain. Investigators have reported a recent increase in the abuse of oxycodone, particularly Oxycontin. Oxycontin has a high level of absorption when chewed, because the controlled release mechanism is bypassed. Some abusers achieve this effect by crushing the tablets, dissolving them in water, and then either snorting or injecting the drug. A total of 172 consecutive cases in which oxycodone was detected in postmortem blood specimens were retrieved from the files of the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office between January 2000 and October 2003. The cases had all been investigated initially by a forensic investigator from the Medical Examiner's Office, and a complete autopsy was performed by the office. Toxicological studies were performed. The oxycodone-positive cases included 18 in which the cause of death was attributed to oxycodone toxicity and 117 in which death was attributed to combined drug toxicity. The most common scenario involved a person with a history of drug abuse who was found dead. Oxycodone was considered an incidental finding in 23 cases of death due to trauma, 9 attributed to natural causes, and 5 deaths attributed to another drug or drugs. Because of the frequent presence of other drugs in postmortem toxicological analysis, it may be difficult to determine the actual role of oxycodone in these cases. Abusers of oxycodone may not be aware of the potential deleterious effects of combining the drug with other commonly detected drugs in cases of polypharmaceutical abuse. 1 table and 18 references