Problems of Forensic Sciences 2013 Vol. 94 (XCIV) 578-589
DETERMINATION OF FENTANYL IN HAIR AND URINE OF A PERSON USING TRANSDERMAL PATCHES
Piotr ADAMOWICZ, Agnieszka SKULSKA
Institute of Forensic Research, Kraków, Poland
Streszczenie
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used to treat intense chronic pain. This compound can be administered in the form of transdermal patches (among other ways). This paper describes the analysis of fentanyl in the hair and urine of a patient who had been using the Durogesic transdermal therapeutic system for several years. The materials were sent to the Institute of Forensic Research (IFR) in order to verify the use of opioid analgesics by the man and thus the credibility of his testimony. Collected hair samples of length 4.5 cm allowed us to confirm the use of fentanyl in recent months, while the urine analysis related only to the most recent days. Detection and quantification were carried out using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry – LC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode for hair and LC-MS in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode for urine. Limits of detection of both the developed methods were very low: 1 pg/mg and 0.35 ng/ml, respectively. Fentanyl was found in both materials at concentrations of 0.99 and 0.77 ng/mg (two segments of hair), and 8.8 ng/ml (urine). Concentrations of fentanyl in hair were significantly higher than in other reported cases of people using transdermal systems, as a result of long-term use of Durogesic patches.
Słowa kluczowe
Fentanyl; Hair; Determination; LC-MS/MS; LC-MS.