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.
- Antemortem source
- Living patient: blood, urine, gastric lavage
- Postmortem source
- Collected at autopsy
- Antemortem advantage
- No postmortem redistribution of drugs
- Field
- Forensic toxicology
Common questions
What is postmortem redistribution and why does it matter here?+
After death, drugs can move from tissue reservoirs such as the liver or lungs back into the blood, especially central blood, which can inflate or distort a postmortem concentration relative to what was actually present at the time of death.
Why is hospital admission blood considered such a clean matrix?+
It is drawn before any postmortem change begins and before resuscitation drugs, IV fluids or medical intervention can alter drug concentrations, giving the toxicologist a reading closest to the person's true physiological state at the point of collection.
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