Phencyclidine-Related Deaths: A Report of Nine Fatal Cases

Abstract

Nine fatal cases attributed to phencyclidlne (PCP) overdose were analyzed either by gas chromatography or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In these cases, blood phancyclidine concentration ranged from 0.3 mg/liter to 12 mg/liter (average 2.4 mg/liter), and liver concentration ranged from 0.9 mg/kg to 80 mg/kg (average concentration 20.1 mg/kg). Two of the cases were documented suicides. Phencyclidine concentrations of blood and other tissues are also given for eight other cases in which death was due to causes other than phencyclidine intoxication. PCP tissue concentrations in these cases in which death is due to causes other than PCP toxicity may not vary significantly from those certified as PCP overdose deaths. This provides evidence of the complexity involved in the certification of death in PCP cases with low tissue concentrations.