Pentobarbital belongs to barbiturates and is a drug used for general anesthesia and seizures. Although barbituric acid derivatives have been a major medicine for anxiety and insomnia in the past, they have been largely replaced by benzodiazepines due to serious central nervous system toxicity and fatal interactions with other drugs. Pentobarbital is currently produced as an injection for anesthesia in Korea, but it is used for euthanasia in some countries. The overdosage of pentobarbital may lead to respiratory depression, hypotension, coma and death. Therefore, some cases that pentobarbital was purchased through the internet or black market and used as a suicidal application had been reported. In this study, we encountered recently four suicidal cases of pentobarbital poisoning. The identification of toxic substances was requested in their biological specimens and the scene evidences. Pentobarbital was detected in biological specimens, and the concentrations of it were ranged from 42.0-431.0 mg/L in heart blood and 18.0-60.0 mg/L in peripheral blood, respectively. From the four cases, pentobarbital was detected as lethal concentration in the blood and large amounts far exceeding the recommended dosage were detected in the gastric contents. Along with pentobarbital, metoclopramide, a gastrointestinal function modifier, was detected in the biological specimens from three cases, and nitrous oxide, a recreational drug, was detected in scene evidences from one case. It was believed that the fatalities died from pentobarbital intoxication, and methoclopramide was taken together as an anti-vomiting agent.
목차
Abstract I. 서론 II. 사례보고 III. 실험방법 1. 시약 및 재료 2. 실험방법 3. LC/MS 조건 IV. 실험결과 및 고찰 V. 참고문헌
키워드
pentobarbitalintoxicationsuicide
저자
정수진 [ Sujin Jeong | 서울과학수사연구소 법독성화학과 ]
김소현 [ Sohyun Kim7 | 서울과학수사연구소 법독성화학과 ]
강민지 [ Minji Kang | 서울과학수사연구소 법독성화학과 ]
문성민 [ Sungmin Moon | 서울과학수사연구소 법독성화학과 ]
염혜선 [ Hyesun Yum | 서울과학수사연구소 법독성화학과 ]
장문희 [ Moonhee Jang | 서울과학수사연구소 법독성화학과 ]
최상길 [ Sanggil Choe | 서울과학수사연구소 법독성화학과 ]
양원경 [ Wonkyoung Yang | 서울과학수사연구소 법독성화학과 ]
Corresponding Author
법과학 분야는 사회정의 구현에 있어 크나큰 가치가 있음에도 불구하고 우리나라에서는 이 분야에 대한 인식이 미흡하여 선진 외국에 비해 침체되어 있는 실정이다. 이에 우리나라에서도 법과학 분야와 관련 있는 학계, 연구기관, 수사기관 등 유관 단체들로 구성된 한국 법과학회를 창립하여 이 분야를 활성화 시켜 과학수사를 한층 더 발전시키기 위함을 목적으로 한다.