Ultraviolet Spectrophotometric Analysis of Barbiturates: Current Assessment as an Emergency Screening Procedure

Abstract

Several laboratory methods are currently available for the detection of barbiturates, but few are suitable for emergency use. The authors evaluated use of an ultraviolet spectrophotometric method as a screening procedure and compared the results with results obtained by other barbiturate methods (colorimetric, gas-liquid chromatographic, and immunochemical). Procedure time was approximately 40 minutes, sensitivity 0.2 mg/dl, precision (coefficient of variation) 5.4%, recovery 97.8% for phenobarbital, and there was good correlation with results obtained by gas-liquid chromatography and the EMIT system for phenobarbital. The authors recommend ultraviolet spectrophotometry as an excellent screening procedure for assessing the severity of barbiturate intoxication.