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Xuan NTT, Le DV, Thanh MT, Son LD, Doanh NV, Thu DM, Tuan NT, Duy TK, Thang TD, Nien LV. A comparison between the enzymatic oxidation method and headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector in the determination of postmortem blood ethanol. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2024:10.1007/s12024-024-00791-x. [PMID: 38376759 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-024-00791-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Ethanol is the most commonly encountered substance in forensic toxicology. Determining blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in autopsies accounts for the majority of work in forensic diagnosis. The most common method to assess BAC is the enzymatic oxidation method because of its low cost, easy operation, and high throughput. Still, the elevated lactate and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in postmortem blood may affect accuracy. This study uses headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (HS-GC/FID) to assess the interference of lactate and LDH levels on BAC in 110 autopsied blood samples determined by the enzymatic oxidation method. The results showed that lactate and LDH levels in postmortem blood were higher than in normal blood. There was a weak correlation between the lactate levels and BAC difference (r = 0.23, p < 0.05) and a strong correlation between LDH levels and BAC difference (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). The differentiation of BAC between the enzymatic oxidation method and HS-GC/FID was significant (p < 0.001), confirming the interference significantly. All postmortem blood samples with lactate and LDH levels higher than regular lead to a positive error in determining BAC by enzymatic oxidation method. The study results suggest that the HS-GC/FID method should be used to determine BAC in postmortem blood samples instead of the enzymatic oxidation method to avoid mistakes in forensic diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dinh Vu Le
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam.
| | - Mai Thi Thanh
- Forensic Medicine Center of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
| | - Le Dinh Son
- Forensic Medicine Center of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Viet Doanh
- Forensic Medicine Center of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
| | - Dang Minh Thu
- Forensic Medicine Center of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Trong Tuan
- Forensic Medicine Center of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
| | - Trang Khanh Duy
- Forensic Medicine Center of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
| | - Tran Dinh Thang
- Institute of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, 700000, Vietnam
| | - Lam Vinh Nien
- University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
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