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The total number of tablets ingested must be based on the amount of drug found in the gastric
fluid as well as in the blood. The mass of drug found in the gastric fluid was:
mass = (concentration)(volume) = (820 mg/L) (0.450 L) = 369 mg
The mass of drug found in the blood was:
mass = (Vd)(mass)(concentration) = (3.5 L/kg)(120 lb)(0.454 kg/lb)(2.5mg/L)
= 477 mg
Thus, the total mass of drug ingested was
369 + 477 mg = 846 mg
and the number of tablets must have been:
Gastric contents: 369 mg /(60 mg/tablet) = 6 tablet
Total contents : 846 mg/(60 mg/tablet) = 14 tablets
The large number of tablets in the gastric fluid and the large total number are both consistent
with a suicide.
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If the contents of the tubex are correct, the absorbance at 257 nm should be:
A = a b c = (0.85 L/(g cm))(1 cm)((50 mg/mL)(0.100 mL/10.00 mL)) =0.42
The expected absorbance of 0.42 is much greater than the observed absorbance of 0.090.
Therefore, not all of the expected amount of drug is present in the tubex.
You cannot say that meperidine was diverted on the basis of this low concentration; however,
it can be said that this result is consistent with diversion.
The Widmark equation estimates the blood ethanol concentration, C:

where A is the mass of ethanol ingested in g, W is the body weight in g, and r is the Widmark
distribution ratio for ethanol (0.55 mL blood/g body weight for an adult female, 0.68 for an
adult male). Other factors needed include the density of ethanol (0.8 g/mL), the concentration
of ethanol in the beer (stated as 5% by the problem), the conversion from oz to mL (29.5
mL/oz), and the conversion from lb to g (454 g/lb).
Thus,

and

This result could also be expressed as 0.23 g/dL or 0.23%. The elimination of alcohol from
the body occurs at approximately 0.015%/hr, so it is expected that the blood alcohol
concentration after 5 hr would be:

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