The deceased died due to Cocaethylene toxicity. That is an overdose of the contents of cocaine and alcohol substance in the liver. The manifestation of a fenestration of the nasal septum in the victim’s body proves that she was a cocaine user. The cardiovascular abnormalities and damages plus the condition of lungs show the side effects of excessive cocaine intoxication since detoxification occurs in the liver (Cittadini et al., 2015). Usually, when an individual takes a significant amount of substance that is dangerous to the body, metabolism takes place so that they can be eliminated in the urine. Cocaine substance and alcohol are both toxic and are hazardous to the body in high contents. Hence, when in excess, they are sent to the liver for metabolic process.
Cocaethylene is an exceptional chemical that occurs in the liver once an individual simultaneously consumes liquor and cocaine in excess. When these two substances meet inside the liver the metabolic dispensation of cocaine is interrupted by alcohol. Now the Cocaine (benzoylmethylecgonine) merges with alcohol (ethyl alcohol) to form ethylbenzoylecgonine (cocaethylene) (Dinis-Oliveira, 2015). At this time, ethyl alcohol disrupts cocaine dispensation of roughly about twenty percent. In turn, when the liver tries to remove cocaethylene alcohol the process is slowed down by about twenty percent. After about two hours, a significant amount of the element passes to the brain producing a much stronger effect than either of the first substances alone. Besides, according to Cittadini, et al. (2015), once the production of cocaethylene begins, the liver will emit the content for some hours. Evidently, it stays extensively in the body system at least three times than cocaine which is very dangerous because the substance is the major cause of heart damages in new cocaine users.
References
Cittadini, F., Giovanni, N., Alcalde, M., Partemi, S., Campuzano, O., Brugada, R., & Oliva, A. (2015). Genetic and toxicologic investigation of Sudden Cardiac Death in a patient with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) under cocaine and alcohol effects. International Journal Of Legal Medicine, 129(1), 89-96. doi:10.1007/s00414-014-1119-5
Dinis-Oliveira, R. J. (2015). Metabolomics of cocaine: implications in toxicity. Toxicology Mechanisms & Methods, 25(6), 494-500. doi:10.3109/15376516.2015.1072612
