DETECTION OF DRUGS-OF-ABUSE IN MECONIUM OF A STILLBORN BABY AND IN STOOL OF A DECEASED 41-DAY-OLD INFANT

When blood or urine is unavailable, postmortem meconium or stool from infants or stillbirths can be used to detect drugs-of-abuse, thus prov iding datum in assessing drug-abuse exposure. Two case reports illustr ate how drugs-of-abuse findings in postmortem specimens were used to s ubstantiate exposure prior to death or a history of maternal drug abus e. The first, a congenital hydrocephalus, born to a non-drug abusing m other, expired at the age of 41 days, had opiates in the stool by scre ening method, enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique, confirmed by ga s chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analysis. Investigation r evealed that morphine had been administered for three days prior to de ath. The second was a stillbirth infant born to a drug abuser. Almost equal amounts of benzoylecgonine were found in different bowel segment s, a finding consistent with admitted cocaine use throughout pregnancy .