Pilgrim Jennifer L, Gerostamoulos Dimitri, Drummer Olaf H
Department of Forensic Medicine, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, 57-83 Kavanagh Street, Southbank, VIC 3006, Australia.
Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2012 Sep;8(3):263-9. doi: 10.1007/s12024-011-9309-7. Epub 2012 Jan 8.
Inappropriate combinations of pharmaceutical drugs are often detected in deaths reported to a coroner. However, the involvement of drug combinations in the cause of death can be overlooked in cases when significant natural disease or external injury is also present. This study examined pathology reports and coroner's findings between January 2002 and December 2008. Cases that included exposure to a selection of serotonergic drugs were examined to determine the role of different death investigators in drug-associated deaths in Victoria, Australia. Of the 326 cases identified, the involvement of drugs in the death was discussed to some degree in 66% of cases. Recommendations by the coroner pertaining to death prevention were made in 12 cases (4%). In 16 cases (5%) the drugs were not mentioned in the findings, including at least 11 cases of probable major adverse drug interactions. Death investigations serve an important public health and safety role, however, the potential involvement of drugs in many cases is not always recognized.
向验尸官报告的死亡案例中经常会检测到不适当的药物组合。然而，当同时存在严重的自然疾病或外部损伤时，药物组合在死因中的作用可能会被忽视。本研究调查了2002年1月至2008年12月期间的病理报告和验尸官的调查结果。对包括接触某些血清素能药物的案例进行了检查，以确定不同死亡调查人员在澳大利亚维多利亚州药物相关死亡事件中的作用。在确定的326个案例中，66%的案例在一定程度上讨论了药物在死亡中的作用。验尸官提出了12例（4%）与预防死亡相关的建议。在16个案例（5%）中，调查结果未提及药物，其中至少有11例可能存在严重的药物相互作用。死亡调查起着重要的公共卫生和安全作用，然而，药物在许多案例中的潜在作用并不总是得到认可。
