Amber Ali Toxicology Student Questions
Name: Amber Ali
5/19/2015
Toxicology Student Questions
1. Does cocaine have any medicinal value?
Cocaine is used by health care professionals to temporarily numb the lining of the mouth, nose, and throat before certain medical procedures. It is an anesthetic that works quickly to numb the area about 1-2 minutes after application. Cocaine also causes blood vessels to narrow, an effect that can decrease bleeding and swelling from the procedure. (http://www.medicinenet.com/cocaine_hydrochloride-topical/article.htm)
2. This is not a large dose of cocaine. Would you have expected the patient to die from this dosage?
His old age could have effected how intensely the cocaine affected his body, but due to how small the amount was, I would not have expected it to happen.
3. The relatively small amount of cocaine metabolites found in the bloodstream indicates that this was either a first time use of cocaine or at least the first use of cocaine in several weeks. Can you tell in other ways if the deceased was a regular user or a one-time user? Can family be trusted to give accurate information about a loved one’s drug use?
Family could be asked about the patient’s history with drugs. Even if they don’t tell the truth, they are the most accurate source of information that would be available after the patient is deceased.
4. Identify the significance of EACH drug found in the toxicology report, i.e., where did they come from? Can all substances found in the toxicology report be accounted for by the known patient history?
Ethanol, cotinine, lidocaine, altropine, cocaine, ethylbenzoylecgonine, benzoylecgonin, ecgonine methyl ester, metroprolol, and caffeine were found in the blood. Nicotine, cotinine, cocaine, ethylbenzoylecgonine, benzoylecgonin, ecgonine methyl ester, metroprolol, and caffeine were found in the urine. The mix of cocaine and alcohol can cause ethylbenzoylecgonine, which is damaging to the heart. The patient history could be reported falsely and the
5/19/2015
Toxicology Student Questions
1. Does cocaine have any medicinal value?
Cocaine is used by health care professionals to temporarily numb the lining of the mouth, nose, and throat before certain medical procedures. It is an anesthetic that works quickly to numb the area about 1-2 minutes after application. Cocaine also causes blood vessels to narrow, an effect that can decrease bleeding and swelling from the procedure. (http://www.medicinenet.com/cocaine_hydrochloride-topical/article.htm)
2. This is not a large dose of cocaine. Would you have expected the patient to die from this dosage?
His old age could have effected how intensely the cocaine affected his body, but due to how small the amount was, I would not have expected it to happen.
3. The relatively small amount of cocaine metabolites found in the bloodstream indicates that this was either a first time use of cocaine or at least the first use of cocaine in several weeks. Can you tell in other ways if the deceased was a regular user or a one-time user? Can family be trusted to give accurate information about a loved one’s drug use?
Family could be asked about the patient’s history with drugs. Even if they don’t tell the truth, they are the most accurate source of information that would be available after the patient is deceased.
4. Identify the significance of EACH drug found in the toxicology report, i.e., where did they come from? Can all substances found in the toxicology report be accounted for by the known patient history?
Ethanol, cotinine, lidocaine, altropine, cocaine, ethylbenzoylecgonine, benzoylecgonin, ecgonine methyl ester, metroprolol, and caffeine were found in the blood. Nicotine, cotinine, cocaine, ethylbenzoylecgonine, benzoylecgonin, ecgonine methyl ester, metroprolol, and caffeine were found in the urine. The mix of cocaine and alcohol can cause ethylbenzoylecgonine, which is damaging to the heart. The patient history could be reported falsely and the