Post-mortem redistribution
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Post-mortem redistribution
IRAS ID
192718
Contact name
N Langford
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Leicester - Research and Development Office
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 4 days
Research summary
Correct interpretation of postmortem drug concentrations is becoming increasingly important in forensic pharmacology and as an adjunct to clinical toxicology. The finding of drugs in a dead body can raise important questions – and may sometimes provide immediate answers – about cause of death and antemortem events.
However the simple measuring of post mortem drug concentrations and applying ante mortem values to the findings has been shown to be erroneous. Following death chemical changes in the body continue leading to on-going changes in the concentrations of drugs within various compartments of the body. There is no definitive marker to predict whether or by how much a drug will undergo post mortem redistribution. In previous evaluations of post mortem drug redistribution there are often many assumptions regarding what drug has been given, how much and what has happened in causing the death. What we hope to do is to collect a data set whereby many of these commonly unknown factors can be elucidated by performing post mortem drug collection on recently deceased individuals who have been an in-patient for at least 24 hours prior to their death.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0489
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion