Case report | No. of cases | Clinical/macroscopic findings | Histological findings | Toxicological samples | Toxicological technique | Toxicological results | Crime scene/anamnesis | Modality |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mehta 1974 | 1 | Cyanosis, respiratory arrest | NR | NR | NR | NR | Anesthesia induced venously, then deepened with pure N2O for six breaths | Anestesiologucal accident |
1 | Extremely pale | NR | NR | NR | NR | Dental anestesia with 75% N2O | Anesthesiological accident | |
Mody 1975 | 1 | Cyanosis, respiratory arrest | NR | NR | NR | NR | Dental anestesia with 75% N2O | Anesthesiological accident |
DiMaio and Garriott 1978 | 4 | Acute visceral congestion | NR | Blood, lung air | HSGC | 8.97 ml/dl in blood; 4.8, 9.3, 4. 6 in the blood; in lung air 13.6 %, 12.3 %, and 22.7 % | N2O tank connected to a rubber tube held in the mouth; open tank of N2O in a car | Recreational use |
LiPuma et al 1982 | 2 | Pneumomediastinum, sore throat, neck swelling, bilateral emphysema of the neck and supraclavicular regions hoarseness., injected pharynx, dried exudation at the corners of both eyes | NR | NR | NR | NR | Many cartridges of N2O inhaled few hours before | Recreational use |
Duncan and Moore 1984 | 4 | Cyanosis | NR | NR | NR | NR | Anesthesia machine failure, cross connection | Anesthesiological accident |
Fraunfelder 1988 | 1 | N R | NR | NR | NR | NR | Plastic bag over victim’s head and a canister pf N2O | Recreational use |
Leadbeatter 1988 | 1 | NR | NR | Blood, urine, and air in cylinders | NR | Traces of N2O in blood | Anesthesiological machine with 95% N2O and 5% O2 | Autoerotical activities |
Chadly et al 1989 | 1 | Heavy and edematous lungs, abundant congestion, multiorgan congestion | Contraction bands in myocardial fibers, multiviscer congestion | NR | NR | NR | Anesthesiological machine in an operating theater | Suicide |
Wagner et al 1992 | 5 | Lung congestion | NR | Blood and air in the left mainstem bronchus | NR | Positive for N2O | Plastic garbage bag close around the head with a belt and a N2O cartridge in the bag | NR |
Gowitt and Hanzlick 1992 | 1 | Decomposition | NR | NR | NR | Negative for N2O | Head covered with a plastic bag and a N2O tank nearby | Autoerotical activities |
Prahlow and Lantz 1994 | 1 | NR | NR | Blood and lungs | NR | 35 ug/mL in blood, 45 ug/mL in lungs | Head covered with a plastic bag and a N2O tank in another room | Recreational use |
Winek et al 1995 | 1 | Cyanosis, congestion, and edema of tracheal mucosa, lung tissue, and bronchi | Acute cerebral edema and hyperemia, spongy degeneration and vacuolation of the myelin sheath, scattered axonal swelling | Hearth blood, lungs, bile, urine | HSGC | All samples were positive | Plastic mask on the face connected to a N2O cylinder | Recreational use |
Hwang et al 1996 | 1 | Frostbite on the left cheek | NR | NR | NR | NR | N2O sniffed directly from a cylinder in contact with the left cheek | Recreational use |
Shields et al 2005 | 1 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | A plastic bag encircled the victim’s head connected by a tube to a N2O canister | Authoerothical activities accident |
Herff et al 2007 | 6 | Respiratory arrest | NR | NR | NR | NR | Oxigen pipeline connecten to N2O tank | Anesthesiological accident |
Poli et al 2010 | 8 | Decomposition | NR | Air from the stomach (buried), from trachea (not buried); blood, urine, liver, bile, kidney, fat, brain | HSGC/ECD | 5.28-83.63 g/m3 (air) | Cross connection between O2 and N2O lines in a hospital | Anesthesiological accident |
Potocka-Banas et al 2011 | 1 | Lung edema | Cerebral edema, acute anoxic lesions of the myocardium | NR | GC, LC e GC.MS | Negative for exogenous organic compounds | Man found with a lot o whipped cream canisters and a professional anesthesia machine | Recreational use |
Bäckström et al 2015 | 2 | Cyanosis, congestion of inner organs | NR | NR | NR | Negative for alcohol and illicit drugs | Modified gas mask connected to a whipped cream pump on the face; gas mask connected to a N2O cylinder | Authoerotical activities accident |
Giuliani et al 2015 | 1 | NR | NR | Brain, lung, peripheral blood | HS-GC-MS | 47 μm/g in the brain 27 μm/g in the lung, 370 microgr/g in the blood | NR | NR |
Lin and Bause 2017 | 1 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | The dentist found with tube detached from the inhaler, held in the left hand, and held tightly between the teeth. The tube was connected to an N2O cylinder | Anesthesiological accident/suicide |
Lee et al 2017 | 1 | Cianosis | NR | NR | NR | NR | Death after dental anesthesia, % of O2 administrated not reported | Anesthesiological accident |
Leth and Astrup 2017 | 1 | Severe lung stasis and edema, cyanosis, dark lividity | NR | Lung and brain | HGCMS | NR | Plastic bag on the face filled with N2O from a cartridge for whipped cream dispenders | Suicide |