A rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of embutramide (a Tanax or T61 component) in human blood with photodiode-array UV detection.

Tanax or T61 is an euthanasia solution commonly used in veterinary medicine. Embutramide is one of the three components. In accidental intoxication, suicide, or suicide attempt, the determination of embutramide is needed to confirm the hypothesis of intoxication. Because the amount of sample is sometimes limited in forensic cases, a new rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method using only 0.1 mL of blood has been developed with liquid-liquid extraction. The eluate was monitored with a photodiode-array detector with a fixed wavelength at 273 nm. The method provided extraction recoveries greater than 83%. The detection limit was 0.2 mg/L, and the limit of quantitation was 0.6 mg/L. The linearity of standards was excellent (r > 0.997). Intra- and interday precisions were acceptable with a coefficient of variation <or= 10.7% in all cases. This method was applied to the first case of suicide by a known quantity of embutramide after intravenous administration, showing a blood concentration of 90 mg/L and allowing estimation of the embutramide volume of distribution in humans (1.6 L/kg)