Does post-mortem distribution affect the concentration of fentanyl when collected from femoral vessels?
Yes. Olson et al collected femoral blood samples at two points in time after death. The second samples showed increases in fentanyl concentrations compared to the earlier samples. Samples from the earlier collection (2.5-6 hours after death) measured non-detectable to 14.6 μg/L (mean, 4.6 μg/L) and those from the second sample (7-53 hours after death) measured 2.0 to 52.5 μg/L (mean, 17.3 μg/L), respectively.
Olson KN, Luckenbill K, Thompson J, Middleton O, Geiselhart R, Mills KM, Kloss J, Apple FS. Postmortem redistribution of fentanyl in blood. American journal of clinical pathology. 2010 Mar 1;133(3):447-53.
Contributed by: Kristine Nanagas, MD