Distributions of ethanol and intubation-related lidocaine in the brain of a trauma patient who was brain dead for about 5 days.

A 48-year-old intoxicated man was admitted to a hospital with an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage from a blow to the head following a drinking session. Lidocaine jelly was used to facilitate intubation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. While his heart resumed beating, he was classified as brain dead and his heart stopped 114 h after admission. His brain was soft and weighed 1.7 kg at autopsy. A small rupture (0.5 by 0.3 cm) of the left vertebral artery and diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage were observed. Ethanol was detected only in the cerebrum, cerebellum and clotted blood in the superior sagittal sinus at 0.29, 0.15 and 0.12 mg/g, respectively. Lidocaine was also found in these areas at levels of 28, 24 and 7 ng/g, respectively. Significant amounts of ethanol were present in his brain because blood flow stopped after the injury. Smaller amounts of intubation-related lidocaine were probably distributed to the brain by limited cerebral circulation and remained there after circulation ceased. Toxicological analysis of the brain after death was useful for evaluating his state during treatment.