Storage Conditions for Blood Samples, for Later Analysis in Criminal Prosecution

Authors : Serpil ERDOGAN, Ozcan EREL, Orhan SEN, Gamze AVCİOGLU, Ceylan BAL, Pervin BARAN

Pages : 60-67

View : 12 | Download : 7

Publication Date : 2018-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Backround: Aim of this study was to demonstrate the stability of blood–ethanol concentration over a storage period. The precise storage time during which ethanol can be reliably measured in frozen blood samples is unknown.  Materials and Methods: In study A, samples were thawed and reanalyzed for ethanol content; their storage time since the first analysis ranged from one to 295 days. The percent difference between the first and second ethanol measurements was calculated as lost ethanol insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(%);. For study B, the ethanol concentrations of 34 samples were measured within 180 days of, and at a randomly selected interval from, the working day.  Results: In study A, the calculated lost ethanol values ranged from 1% to 30%. There was no correlation between the calculated ethanol values and the measures on the second ethanol analysis day. A significant difference was detected between the two analyses in study B insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(p: 0.01);. Conclusions: It was concluded that blood samples to be analyzed for ethanol concentration can be stored at –80°C for many months, with no loss of concentration provided that analysis is undertaken as promptly as possible and blood samples are frozen as soon after collection as possible.
Keywords : Ethanol, stability, forensic medicine