Ziavrou Kallirroe, Boumba Vassiliki A, Vougiouklakis Theodore G
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
Int J Toxicol. 2005 Mar-Apr;24(2):69-77. doi: 10.1080/10915810590936391.
Accurate interpretation of the blood ethanol (EtOH) concentration at the time of death presents a difficult task since the origin of detected EtOH in postmortem cases (either in corpses or in specimens after sample collection) may vary. Headspace gas chromatography is the choice method for detecting EtOH in blood or other specimens, due to the accuracy and sensitivity it provides. Possible sources of postmortem EtOH have been the ante-mortem ingestion, the ante-mortem endogenous production and the postmortem microbial neo-formation, which has been considered the most critical factor that could complicate the results. It has been reported that EtOH could be formed postmortem in variable and non-predictable amounts, as a function of the type and number of microorganisms present either in corpses or specimens collected at autopsy. The presence of other volatiles-mostly n-propanol-has been correlated to microbial EtOH production, although the quantitative pattern between them and EtOH still remains obscure. The factors most frequently implicated in the mechanism of postmortem EtOH production in corpses have been considered the number and nature of microbes present, the availability of various types of substrates, the temperature and the time. Complication in the interpretation of blood alcohol concentration could arise due to the atypical distribution of EtOH in the body compartments after death. Specimens to blood EtOH ratios reported in the literature are presented. All the aforementioned aspects are discussed in a comprehensive way, providing a deep insight into this essential problem.
准确解读死亡时的血液乙醇（EtOH）浓度是一项艰巨的任务，因为在死后案例中（无论是尸体还是样本采集后的标本）检测到的EtOH来源可能各不相同。顶空气相色谱法是检测血液或其他标本中EtOH的首选方法，因为它具有准确性和灵敏度。死后EtOH的可能来源包括生前摄入、生前内源性产生以及死后微生物新形成，其中死后微生物新形成被认为是可能使结果复杂化的最关键因素。据报道，死后EtOH可能以可变且不可预测的量形成，这取决于尸体或尸检时采集的标本中存在的微生物类型和数量。其他挥发性物质（主要是正丙醇）的存在与微生物EtOH产生相关，尽管它们与EtOH之间的定量模式仍然不清楚。尸体中死后EtOH产生机制中最常涉及的因素被认为是存在的微生物数量和性质、各种类型底物的可用性、温度和时间。死后EtOH在体内各腔室中的非典型分布可能导致血液酒精浓度解读的复杂化。文中列出了文献报道的标本与血液EtOH比率。本文全面讨论了上述所有方面，对这一重要问题进行了深入剖析。
