Postmortem Toxicology: Artifacts

In recent years, it has been recognized that the potential of postmortem changes goes far beyond a straightforward interpretation of a drug concentration determined from a postmortem sample. Artifacts are an inherent part of postmortem toxicology that should be realized and identified, where possible. This article attempts to highlight the most well known artifacts with regard to the antemortem setting and changes of the corpse, and hence the matrices and drugs therein. In addition to postmortem distribution and redistribution processes, competing processes such as degradation and formation of new entities occur. While far-reaching changes will have already occurred when sampling usually occurs, taking multiple specimens from controlled sites may give some information about postmortem artifacts. An appreciation of how contaminants can be introduced during collection of samples is important. Knowledge on degradation mechanisms operating in a particular sample and on a particular compound will facilitate interpretation to some extent. This also calls for a reliable analytical procedure to determine the parent drug along with its major metabolites and breakdown products.