Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo 2014 Volume 142, Issue 9-10, Pages: 610-613
https://doi.org/10.2298/SARH1410610N
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The presence of morphine as heroin metabolites in placental tissue and fetus: Case report
Nikolić Slobodan (School of Medicine, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Belgrade)
Micić-Labudović Jelena (School of Medicine, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Belgrade)
Lukić Vera (School of Medicine, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Belgrade)
Živković Vladimir 
(School of Medicine, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Belgrade)
Introduction. Females who have developed addiction to heroin also abuse it
during pregnancy. Heroin can be detected in the fetal blood-flow already an
hour after maternal i.v. injection. Heroin metabolites enter the fetal
blood-flow through the placental barrier by passive transport. Case Outline.
We present a 27-year-old female in the 5th month of pregnancy that had a
miscarriage. Chemo-toxicological analysis (gas chromatography with mass
spectrometry - GC/MS), showed the presence of morphine in the fetal liver
(31.92 ng/g), placenta (27.94 ng/g) and meconium (136.33 ng/g). The analysis
did not show the presence of 6-monoacetylmorphine. Conclusion. In all cases
when the autopsy of fetus or newborn is performed, with mother suspected as
i.v. heroin abuser, chemotoxicological placental analysis, placenta and
meconium should be also done.
Keywords: heroin, morphine, placenta, meconium, autopsy
Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije,
br. 45005