A PROSPECTIVE TOXICOLOGY ANALYSIS IN ALCOHOLICS

A prospective and comprehensive investigation was done on 73 medico-le gal autopsies in alcoholics. The results of the toxicology analyses ar e described. Alcohol intoxication was the cause of death in 8%, combin ed alcohol/drug intoxication in 15% and drugs alone in 19%. Alcoholic ketoacidosis was found to be the cause of death in 7%. Altogether toxi cology analyses were necessary for determining the cause of death in 5 1% of the cases. In four cases the cause of death would not have been found, had this investigation not been made. It is concluded that toxi cology analyses should be the rule rather than the exception in deaths in alcoholics. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.