Acetone and Isoprophyl Alcohol Poisoning in Forensic Medicine
Vygantas Stonkus, Algimantas Jasulaitis, Rimantas Karalius, Dalia Vaitkienė
Use of alcohol is a very serious problem in Lithuania: number of alcohol induced psychosis per 100 000 is rising constantly, also with alcohol dependency for 100 000 and the acute alcohol intoxication level is at a constant high. Not only the ethyl alcohol but also isoprophyl alcohol and acetone are being found in various biological samples. Blood, urine samples gathered during autopsies as well as patient blood samples taken during 2008 year from Vilnius, Alytus Kėdainiai, Panevėžys,
Ukmergė, Utena branches of The State Forensic Medicine Service under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania (VTMT) were tested for ethyl, isoprophyl al co hol and ac e tone by gas-chromatography methods. Samples were tested with “Clarus 500" gaschromatograph with either 40 or 100 specimen chamber carusell. Two different test columns and flame ionisation detectors (FID) were used. There were 124 separate cases (80% male, 20% female). Age dispersion: largest sample group was taken from three age groups covering ages from 40 to 69 yrs. Highest specimen count was from age group 40-49 yrs. and 50-59 yrs. for men and women respectively. 96% of samples tested were taken from cadavers during autopsy and only 4% were patient samiaverage ethyl alcohol concentration in blood (2.28 promiles) and urine (2.88 promiles) samples is significantly higher than the average isoprophyl alcohol and acetone concentration in blood (0.41 and 0.32 promiles resp.) and urine (0.44 and 0.43 promiles resp.) samples. The analysis has shown blood and urine samples does not necessary predetermine high isoprophyl alco i hol and acetone concentrations.
Keywords: ethyl alcohol, isoprophyl alcohol, acetone, gas-chromatography.