A comparison between the enzymatic oxidation method and headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector in the determination of postmortem blood ethanol

This study uses headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (HS-GC/FID) to assess the interference of lactate and LDH levels on BAC in 110 autopsied blood samples determined by the enzymatic oxidation method. The results showed that lactate and LDH levels in postmortem blood were higher than in normal blood. There was a weak correlation between the lactate levels and BAC difference (r = 0.23,p <  0.05) and a strong correlation between LDH levels and BAC difference (r = 0.67,p <  0.001). The differentiation of BAC between the enzymatic oxidation method and HS-GC/FID was significant (p <  0.001), confirming the interference significantly. All postmortem blood samples with lactate and LDH levels higher than regular lead to a positive error in determining BAC by enzymatic oxidation method. The study results suggest that the HS-GC/FID method should be used to determine BAC in postmor tem blood samples instead of the enzymatic oxidation method to avoid mistakes in forensic diagnosis.
Source: Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology - Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: research