Universität zu Köln

Lehmann, Sabrina, Kieliba, Tobias ORCID: 0000-0002-9238-5336, Thevis, Mario, Rothschild, Markus A. and Mercer-Chalmers-Bender, Katja ORCID: 0000-0002-3843-9065 (2020). Fatalities associated with NPS stimulants in the Greater Cologne area. Int. J. Legal Med., 134 (1). S. 229 - 242. NEW YORK: SPRINGER. ISSN 1437-1596

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

This study centres on the prevalence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) stimulant use, and its relevance as a cause of death amongst individuals between the ages of 12 and 35 in the greater Cologne area. An automated solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of 97 stimulants in urine (including conventional stimulants, e.g. amphetamine and MDMA), of which 68 analytes were fully validated for quantification. Samples of urine or kidney tissue (in cases where urine was unavailable) of 268 deceased were collected, during autopsy, between January 2011 and May 2017 and analyzed. Blood (if available) was also investigated in cases where urine/kidney samples were tested positive for NPS. An intake of stimulants (including NPS stimulants) was proven in 50 cases. In 33 cases, only conventional stimulants were detected. A total of 17 cases were tested positive for NPS. Of the 17 NPS-positive cases, 13 were also tested positive for other conventional drugs of abuse (mostly amphetamine and MDMA). In six NPS-positive cases, at least three different NPS were proven to be ingested. Due to the determined blood concentrations, NPS was assigned as the leading cause of death, or of toxicological relevance, in the cause of death in only 5 cases. In two of the cases, NPS was judged to be a component of a multidrug poisoning, but of minor relevance.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Lehmann, Sabrina UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Kieliba, Tobias UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-9238-5336 UNSPECIFIED Thevis, Mario UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Rothschild, Markus A. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Mercer-Chalmers-Bender, Katja UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-3843-9065 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-351834
DOI:	10.1007/s00414-019-02193-z
Journal or Publication Title:	Int. J. Legal Med.
Volume:	134
Number:	1
Page Range:	S. 229 - 242
Date:	2020
Publisher:	SPRINGER
Place of Publication:	NEW YORK
ISSN:	1437-1596
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY; PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES; MASS-SPECTROMETRY; LC-MS/MS; DESIGNER DRUGS; INTOXICATION; URINE; METHOXETAMINE; TOXICITY; 4-MEC Multiple languages Medicine, Legal Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/35183