Routine Use of a Flexible Gas Chromatograph—Mass Spectrometer—Computer System to Identify Drugs and Their Metabolites in Body Fluids of Overdose Victims

Abstract

Abstract We have assembled a computer-searchable collection of 300 mass spectra of drugs, metabolites, normal body-fluid constituents, and common sample contaminants, for use in conjunction with a gas chromatograph—low resolution mass spectrometer system. The system is designed for analysis of drugs in body fluids of comatose victims of accidental or deliberate ingestion of a drug overdose. The speed and generality of the method make it particularly useful for such emergency situations. It has now been in routine use for longer than two years, and its usefulness is illustrated by results obtained for several actual samples.