Cocaine Metabolite Kinetics in the Newborn

Published: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Volume 23, Number 1, January/February 1999, pp. 24-28.

Cocaine Metabolite Kinetics in the Newborn
Delia Dempsey, Peyton Jacob, III, J. Colin Partridge, Reese T. Jones, Kristina Panganiban, and Michael C. Rowbotham

The study goal was to determine the half-life elimination of cocaine and benzoylecgonine (BZE) in the newborn. Three 0.3-mL blood samples were collected during the first day of life. Urine was collected once daily. Cocaine and BZE concentrations were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. An extraction method was developed for measuring low concentrations of cocaine and BZE in small (0.1 mL) blood samples. Cocaine had a half-life of 11.6 h in one subject. The half-life of BZE during the first day of life, based on blood data in 13 subjects, was 16 h (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.8 to 21.4 h). The half-life of BZE during the first week of life, based on urine data in 16 subjects, was 11.2 h (95% CI, 10.1 to 11.8 h). The novel extraction method for small blood sample volumes should
be applicable to other basic drugs.

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