Problems of Forensic Sciences 2007 Vol. 70 (LXX) 154-160
FORENSIC MEDICAL EXPERT OPINING IN CASES LINKED WITH CORHYDRON
Maciej BARZDO1, Leszek ŻYDEK1, Waldemar MACHAŁA2, Jarosław BERENT1
1Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University, Łódź, Poland
2Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Medical University, Łódź, Poland
Streszczenie
At the beginning of November 2006, the media reported that packets of the drug Corhydron, available on the market, which should contain hydrocortisone, may in fact contain succinylcholine, i.e. a medicine that relaxes skeletal muscle, administration of which may lead to death. As further reports informed about successive victims of "accidental" administration of the relaxant drug, cases from around the whole country began to flow into the Department of Forensic Medicine in Łódz, in which experts were supposed to express themselves on issues linked with treatment with the "suspect" hydrocortisone preparation. In particular, in these cases, it was necessary to establish whether the patient had been given hydrocortisone or a relaxant medicine. In this paper – using the example of several selected cases – problems linked to these kinds of cases are presented, as are the accepted principles of expert opining.
Słowa kluczowe
Corhydron; Hydrocortisone; Succinylcholine; Forensic medical expert opining.