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FATAL INTOXICATION INVOLVING ETRYPTAMINE

NCJ Number
143001
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1993) Pages: 721-725
Author(s)
R A Morano; C Spies; F B Walker; S M Plank
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A 19-year-old white female, who allegedly ingested a glass of beer containing two "hits" of a white powder identified as Etryptamine (ethyltryptamine), otherwise known as "Ecstasy," became disoriented, vomited, went into full cardiac arrest, and died.
Abstract
Toxicological findings included this tissue distribution: blood and heart, 5.6 mg/L; urine, 80.4 mg/L; vitreous 2.4 mg/L; bile 22.0 mg/L; stomach contents, 52.9 mg; brain 16.2 mg/g; liver 18.3 mg/g; and kidney 24.0 mg/g. Anatomic pathology revealed pulmonary edema and generalized visceral congestion with some epicardial petechiae. Early pharmacokinetic studies indicate that etryptamine is rapidly absorbed, widely distributed, and eliminated primarily via the kidneys; this autopsy confirmed earlier findings that etryptamine is extensively tissue bound, giving rise to a higher than expected volume of distribution. This study was notable because of the lack of literature on etryptamine and the fact that it is not a controlled substance. 1 table, 2 figures, and 6 references

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