Toxicological Advancements in Cocaine Detection: A Review

Abstract

Cocaine, also known as methyl benzoylecgonine, is one of the most used drugs of abuse and one of the oldest; however, there has been a recent increase in the consumption of this substance. This trend has once again caught the attention of the scientific community. We discuss the current knowledge about this drug, focusing our attention on the forensic approach. Despite the fact that the cut-off of positivity to cocaine in drug tests is quite high, most current tests are able to detect much lower concentrations and could improve forensic sciences in both post-mortem investigations and in people screening. Immunological assays possessing substantial cross-reactivity to cocaine are particularly useful for screening oral fluid, hair, and post-mortem blood, where significant concentrations of the drug can be found. Liquid chromatography has now supplanted the previous techniques because it is very sensitive and specific and allows samples to be analyzed in a shorter time with only minimal sample preparation. Recent studies have focused on increased sensitivity, reduced processing times, and cheaper analysis.

Cocaine-Induced Kidney, Liver, Lung, and Muscle Injury (C-KLM), Presenting With Foot Drop: A Case Report

“…Pulmonary eosinophilia is also a risk factor following intranasal cocaine use, to mention a few [9]. Diffuse interstitial disease, as seen in our index patient (no noted emphysematous changes) on his chest CT scan, may benefit from transbronchial biopsy at the time of flexible bronchoscopy, if no contraindication is documented [10][11][12]. Figure 7 depicts the wide spectrum of cocaine-induced organ injuries.…”