ABSTRACT:
n-Ethyl pentylone (NEP) is a chemical substance derived from cathinone. Synthetic cathinones are an evolving group of drugswith stimulating, mind-altering effects sometimes referred to as novel or new psychoactive substances (NPS). There is scarce information in themedical literature regarding forensic cases in which NEP is detected in toxicological testing. We present four fatalities involving NEP from Ala-bama in 2017. Deaths were attributed to NEP toxicity in two cases (peripheral blood concentrations of 0.121 and 0.953 mg/L) and injuriescaused by gunshot wounds in two cases (peripheral blood concentrations of 0.045 and 0.031 mg/L). One case involving NEP described anindividual who exhibited classic CNS-stimulant induced erratic behavior before being found dead. These cases enhance the forensic literatureregarding specific NPS like NEP and provide contextual reference for professionals considering the significance of NEP in toxicologicalinterpretation.
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https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1556-4029.13823