Comparison of postmortem butane distribution between two fatal butane poisoning cases. 2018

Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: kaori@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp.

Fatal accidents during butane abuse frequently occur in Japan and in many countries around the world. Although analytical data about butane concentration in postmortem samples is being accumulated, when using the data to determine the cause of death, careful interpretation is required because the gas is easily diffused. Two fatal butane poisoning cases were encountered, and butane quantification of autopsy samples obtained from left and right heart blood, femoral blood, kidney, liver, lung, brain and fatty tissues was performed. In both cases, butane concentration in the left heart blood was lower than in the right heart blood or the femoral blood, despite gas inhalation. These findings may indicate that the deceased individuals interrupted gas inhalation and inhaled room air immediately before their death, therefore ruling out asphyxia due to anoxia as the mechanism of death. Case 1, which was suspected to be a not acute death, showed a very high butane concentration ratio of fatty tissues to femoral blood of over 70. Case 2 was considered an acute death, and the butane concentration ratio of fatty tissues to femoral blood was 8.2. These results are consistent with previously reported findings showing that much higher ratios of fatty tissues to blood are compatible with long survival time. In conclusion, the comparison of butane concentration among different samples, including left heart blood versus right heart blood and fatty tissues versus blood, is useful when interpreting the result of postmortem butane analysis to examine the mechanism of death and survival time.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D011180 Postmortem Changes Physiological changes that occur in bodies after death. Adipocere,Algor Mortis,Cruor,Livor Mortis,Change, Postmortem,Changes, Postmortem,Postmortem Change
D002073 Butanes Four-carbon alkanes with the formula C4H10. Isobutane,Isobutanes
D005740 Gases The vapor state of matter; nonelastic fluids in which the molecules are in free movement and their mean positions far apart. Gases tend to expand indefinitely, to diffuse and mix readily with other gases, to have definite relations of volume, temperature, and pressure, and to condense or liquefy at low temperatures or under sufficient pressure. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000273 Adipose Tissue Specialized connective tissue composed of fat cells (ADIPOCYTES). It is the site of stored FATS, usually in the form of TRIGLYCERIDES. In mammals, there are two types of adipose tissue, the WHITE FAT and the BROWN FAT. Their relative distributions vary in different species with most adipose tissue being white. Fatty Tissue,Body Fat,Fat Pad,Fat Pads,Pad, Fat,Pads, Fat,Tissue, Adipose,Tissue, Fatty
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D001344 Autopsy Postmortem examination of the body. Autopsies,Post-Mortem Examination,Postmortem Examination,Examination, Post-Mortem,Examination, Postmortem,Examinations, Post-Mortem,Examinations, Postmortem,Post Mortem Examination,Post-Mortem Examinations,Postmortem Examinations
D014018 Tissue Distribution Accumulation of a drug or chemical substance in various organs (including those not relevant to its pharmacologic or therapeutic action). This distribution depends on the blood flow or perfusion rate of the organ, the ability of the drug to penetrate organ membranes, tissue specificity, protein binding. The distribution is usually expressed as tissue to plasma ratios. Distribution, Tissue,Distributions, Tissue,Tissue Distributions

Related Publications

Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
January 1999, Archiv fur Kriminologie,
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
May 2012, Journal of forensic sciences,
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
October 1979, Medicine, science, and the law,
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
March 1925, Science (New York, N.Y.),
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
January 1996, Journal of analytical toxicology,
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
October 1953, South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde,
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
October 2000, Journal of analytical toxicology,
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
August 1999, The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India,
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
January 1971, Medicine, science, and the law,
Kaori Shintani-Ishida, and Hajime Tsuboi, and Hiroaki Ichioka, and Hiroshi Ikegaya
April 1978, Medicine, science, and the law,
Copied contents to your clipboard!