Antemortem vs Postmortem Sample
Definition
Antemortem samples are drawn from a living patient (most often blood, urine and gastric lavage at hospital admission); postmortem samples are collected at autopsy. The two differ in stability, drug redistribution patterns and legal weight; antemortem blood is often the cleanest matrix the toxicologist will ever see in a fatal case.
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Explained in
- Introduction and Scope of Forensic ToxicologyAntemortem samples are drawn from a living patient (most often blood, urine and gastric lavage at hospital admission); postmortem samples are collected at auto...