PMID- 21264549
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20111229
LR  - 20211020
IS  - 1556-2891 (Electronic)
IS  - 1547-769X (Linking)
VI  - 7
IP  - 3
DP  - 2011 Sep
TI  - "Ecstasy" associated deaths: what is a fatal concentration ? Analysis of a case 
      series.
PG  - 248-52
LID - 10.1007/s12024-010-9220-7 [doi]
AB  - Amphetamine derivative drugs, particularly 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine 
      (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, are popular recreational drugs. MDMA is 
      associated with causing death by a number of mechanisms, including hyperpyrexia, 
      cardiac arrhythmia water intoxication and liver failure. Seventy-seven deaths 
      where MDMA was detected in body fluids/organs were reviewed. Of these cases 59 
      deaths had MDMA present in blood. In 13 cases death was attributable to the toxic 
      effects of MDMA alone with a range of 0.478-53.9 mg/l, mean 8.43 mg/l, median 
      3.49 mg/l. In 22 cases death was due to polydrug use, with an MDMA range of 
      0.04-41.5 mg/l, mean 2.90 mg/l, median 0.76 mg/l. In 24 cases death was due to 
      trauma with an MDMA range of 0.035-4.81 mg/l, mean 0.862 mg/l, median 0. 
      483 mg/l. There is considerable overlap between the concentration of MDMA seen in 
      deaths from direct MDMA toxicity and deaths associated with trauma. These 
      findings show, that like other stimulant drugs, no specific concentration can be 
      used to determine death without consideration of the history and full autopsy 
      findings.
FAU - Milroy, C M
AU  - Milroy CM
AD  - Eastern Ontario Forensic Pathology, Unit of the Ontario Forensic Pathology 
      Service, Division of Anatomical Pathology, The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Road, 
      Ottawa, ON, K2A 2L4, Canada. cmilroy@toh.on.ca
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20110125
PL  - United States
TA  - Forensic Sci Med Pathol
JT  - Forensic science, medicine, and pathology
JID - 101236111
RN  - 0 (Central Nervous System Depressants)
RN  - 0 (Narcotics)
RN  - 3K9958V90M (Ethanol)
RN  - KE1SEN21RM (N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Accidental Falls/mortality
MH  - Accidents, Traffic/mortality
MH  - Central Nervous System Depressants/blood
MH  - Drowning/mortality
MH  - Ethanol/blood
MH  - Forensic Toxicology
MH  - Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
MH  - Homicide/statistics & numerical data
MH  - Humans
MH  - Hypothermia/mortality
MH  - N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine/*blood/*poisoning/urine
MH  - Narcotics/*blood/*poisoning/urine
EDAT- 2011/01/26 06:00
MHDA- 2011/12/30 06:00
CRDT- 2011/01/26 06:00
PHST- 2010/12/27 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2011/01/26 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2011/01/26 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2011/12/30 06:00 [medline]
AID - 10.1007/s12024-010-9220-7 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2011 Sep;7(3):248-52. doi: 10.1007/s12024-010-9220-7. 
      Epub 2011 Jan 25.