Death due to inhalation of aliphatic hydrocarbons such as butane and propane is a particularly serious problem worldwide, resulting in several fatal cases of sniffing these volatile substances in order to “get high”. Despite the number of cases published, there is not a unique approach to case management of fatal sniffing. In this paper we illustrate the volatile lipophilic substances management in a case of a prisoner died after sniffing a butane-propane gas mixture from prefilled camping stove gas canisters, discussing the comprehensive approach of the crime scene, the autopsy, histology and toxicology. A large set of accurate values of both butane and propane was obtained by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyzing the following post-mortem biological samples: peripheral blood, heart blood, vitreous humor, liver, lung, heart, brain/cerebral cortex, fat tissue, kidney, and allowed an in depth discussion about the cause of death. A key role is played by following the proper sampling approach during autopsy.

Volatile lipophilic substances management in case of fatal sniffing / Romolo, Francesco Saverio; di Luca, Natale Mario; Ciallella, Costantino; Bottoni, Edoardo; Fiore, Paola Antonella; Cappelletti, Simone; Giuliani, Nicole; Augsburger, Marc; Varlet, Vincent. - In: JOURNAL OF FORENSIC AND LEGAL MEDICINE. - ISSN 1752-928X. - STAMPA. - 52:(2017), pp. 35-39. [10.1016/j.jflm.2017.08.005]

Volatile lipophilic substances management in case of fatal sniffing

Romolo, Francesco Saverio;di Luca, Natale Mario;Ciallella, Costantino;Bottoni, Edoardo;Fiore, Paola Antonella;Cappelletti, Simone;
2017

Abstract

Death due to inhalation of aliphatic hydrocarbons such as butane and propane is a particularly serious problem worldwide, resulting in several fatal cases of sniffing these volatile substances in order to “get high”. Despite the number of cases published, there is not a unique approach to case management of fatal sniffing. In this paper we illustrate the volatile lipophilic substances management in a case of a prisoner died after sniffing a butane-propane gas mixture from prefilled camping stove gas canisters, discussing the comprehensive approach of the crime scene, the autopsy, histology and toxicology. A large set of accurate values of both butane and propane was obtained by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyzing the following post-mortem biological samples: peripheral blood, heart blood, vitreous humor, liver, lung, heart, brain/cerebral cortex, fat tissue, kidney, and allowed an in depth discussion about the cause of death. A key role is played by following the proper sampling approach during autopsy.
2017
butane-propane poisoning; cardiac arrhythmia; forensic toxicology; sudden sniffing death syndrome; volatile substance abuse; adipose tissue; adult; blood chemical analysis; brain chemistry; butanes; forensic pathology; forensic toxicology; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; humans; kidney; liver; lung; male; myocardium; propane; purpura; respiratory mucosa; vitreous body; inhalant abuse; 2734; law
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01i Case report
Volatile lipophilic substances management in case of fatal sniffing / Romolo, Francesco Saverio; di Luca, Natale Mario; Ciallella, Costantino; Bottoni, Edoardo; Fiore, Paola Antonella; Cappelletti, Simone; Giuliani, Nicole; Augsburger, Marc; Varlet, Vincent. - In: JOURNAL OF FORENSIC AND LEGAL MEDICINE. - ISSN 1752-928X. - STAMPA. - 52:(2017), pp. 35-39. [10.1016/j.jflm.2017.08.005]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1149758
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