Dried blood spot punches for confirmation of suspected γ-hydroxybutyric acid intoxications: validation of an optimized GC–MS procedure

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Abstract
Background: γ-hydroxybutyric acid ( GHB ), notorious as a club- and date-rape drug, was quantified in dried blood spots (DBS) by punching out a disc, followed by ‘on-spot’ derivatization and analysis by GC–MS. Results: A homogenous distribution in DBS was demonstrated and accurate results were obtained when analyzing a disc punched out from a 20–35 µl spot, regardless the hematocrit of the blood sample. Validation based on US FDA and European Medicines Agency guidelines was performed, with a calibration range covering 2–100 µg/ml. Conclusion: A sensitive GC–MS method for GHB analysis in DBS was successfully optimized and validated. The successful analysis of DBS collected from GHB abusers suggests the routine applicability of the DBS sampling technique for GHB analysis in toxicological cases.

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