An autopsy case of acute chloroform intoxication after intermittent inhalation for years.

A 39-year-old female died shortly after inhalation of chloroform by a saturated towel placed over her face by her lover, who also inhaled and became unconscious. They had inhaled chloroform once or twice a month for about seven years. Fatal level of chloroform was detected in the blood and tissues by gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis. The fragmentation and waviness of cardiomyocytes that indicates hypercontraction, along with the edema and hemorrhage of the lung, shows the presence of acute heart failure possibly caused by arrhythmias or cardiac depression. The unusual numbers of lipofuscin pigments in the heart as well as in the liver may be generated by the chronic use of chloroform.