A fatal case of aspiration due to consumption of the hallucinogenic tryptamine derivative dipropyltryptamine (DPT).
Merja A. Neukamm, Stefan Pollak, Vanessa Thoma, Susanne Vogt, Laura M Huppertz, Volker Auwärter
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis March 15, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115959 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Forensic case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 20-year-old man with prior hallucinogen-use experience |
| Intervention | dipropyltryptamine |
| Keywords | Circulatory collapse Hallucinogenic tryptamine Nasal drug ingestion Seizure Vomiting Fatal toxicology Hallucinogenic drugs Adverse drug effects Forensic case report |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Death from nasal consumption of a high dose of dipropyltryptamine was an indirect consequence of aspiration of gastric contents and brain edema, without the typical tryptamine overdose symptoms of agitation, hyperthermia, or tachycardia. |
Abstract
This case involves a 20-year-old man with prior hallucinogen-use experience, who sniffed an unknown amount of dipropyltryptamine in an apartment. Dipropyltryptamine, a hallucinogenic compound belonging to the tryptamine class is recognized for inducing effects similar to dimethyltryptamine (DMT) but with a longer duration. Ten to fifteen minutes later he experienced visual hallucinations, followed by increasing apathy. Two hours post consumption he developed abdominal pain, leading to collapse, seizure, and vomiting. Despite emergency medical resuscitation on site, transport to hospital 2.5 hours post consumption and extracorporeal life support he died 21 hours later. Relevant toxicological and morphological findings are presented. A serum sample was collected four hours post consumption. Autopsy was performed six days after death. Antemortem serum, as well as postmortem cardiac blood and urine were analyzed for alcohol and psychoactive drugs by systematic toxicological analyses employing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Maurer/Pfleger/Weber library among others), liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-MSn, Toxtyper™), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Dipropyltryptamine was quantified by LC-MS/MS after solid-phase extraction. Autopsy revealed a state after deep aspiration of gastric contents with consecutive brain edema due to oxygen deprivation. Dipropyltryptamine concentrations were approximately 210 ng/ml, 110 ng/ml and 180 ng/ml in antemortem serum, postmortem cardiac blood and urine, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported concentrations of dipropyltryptamine in a fatal case. Unlike typical tryptamine overdose reports, this case did not present with agitation, hyperthermia, or tachycardia. Despite the individual's prior experience with tryptamines and the generally low toxicity associated with this class of hallucinogens, death in this case was an indirect consequence of the nasal consumption of a high dose of dipropyltryptamine.