Postmortem detection of accidental methadone intoxication in a 10-year-old girl
Thierauf, A.; Vogt, S.; Pollak, S.; Perdekamp, M.G.
Archiv für Kriminologie 231(5-6): 175-182
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9225 PMID: 23878896 Document Number: 665335
Intoxications in children still account for a large part of the cases reported to poison control centres. Among drug intoxications, substitution drugs have gained in importance lately. Careless storage of take-home medications puts children living in the same household at risk. The authors report on a fatal case of a 10-year-old girl who died from intoxication with methadone belonging to a carer. The accidental intoxication had not been diagnosed at the hospital where the girl was treated for suspected meningitis. The question of medical malpractice is discussed.