In postmortem cases, a blood sample is frequently obtained by transtho
racic (TT) puncture. The purpose of this study was to determine if, in
traumatic death, blood samples collected by TT provided a valid sampl
e for blood alcohol analysis. A retrospective study (1980-1986) was co
nducted to evaluate possible contamination of blood by GI alcohol in t
raumatic death cases. Out of 6000 cases reviewed, 19 cses with BACs >
500 mg/dl were found and 8 of these cases involved traumatic death wit
h GI laceration and/or transection. The results of this study support
the hypothesis that blood samples from the 8 cases had been contaminat
ed, resulting in a falsely elevated BAG. A transthoracic study (1987-1
989) was conducted under controlled conditions, where blood alcohol co
ntent of TT blood samples was compared with samples collected from the
intact heart chamber. Seven out of 28 cases of traumatic injury revea
led trauma to the GI tract. The results showed that when GI traumatic
injury occurs and unabsorbed ethanol is present in the stomach, contam
ination of TT blood samples occurs and artificially elevated BACs are
obtained. It is recommended that, in cases of traumatic injury, heart
blood samples from the intact heart chamber, as well as samples of add
itional biological fluids, be collected to rule out the possibility of
contamination and to ensure that the BAC used for forensic interpreta
tion is accurate.