Death due to intravenous use of α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone

Holliday, Simon M; Tran, Huy A

doi:10.5694/mja14.01741

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To the Editor: Sellors and colleagues report a fatality where urine drug testing (UDT) failed to detect the drug of overdose detected on the coronial blood assay.1 This highlights how clinical care may be handicapped by older testing technology.

1 Albert Street Medical Centre, Taree, NSW.
2 Drug and Alcohol Clinical Services, Hunter New England Local Health District, Taree, NSW.
3 Pathology North (Hunter), NSW Health Pathology, Newcastle, NSW.

Correspondence: simon.holliday@albertstmc.com

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Sellors K, Jones A, Chan B. Death due to intravenous use of α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone. Med J Aust 2014; 201: 601-603. <MJA full text>
2. Christo P, Manchikanti L, Ruan X, et al. Urine drug testing in chronic pain. Pain Physician 2011; 14: 123-143.
3. Starr T, Rogak L, Passik S. Substance abuse in cancer pain. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2010; 14: 268-275.

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