Fetal and newborn death associated with maternal cocaine use.

Data collected from 25 cases of fetal or newborn death associated with maternal cocaine use are reported. The average week of gestatlon at which fetal death occurred was week 30. Abruptio placentae was observed in 7 cases and placental infarct was found in 4 cases. The average fetal blood cocaine and benzoylecgonine levels were 0.26 and 1.73/~g/mL. The average maternal levels were 0.14 and 1.80 tag/mL, respectively. trometry (GC/MS) using a modification of the method of Chinn et al. (6). Briefly, deuterated cocaine and deuterated BE internal standards were initially added to the unknowns and blood standards. After solvent extraction, BE was derivatized to the propyl ester using 50~ N,N-dimethylformamide dipropyl acetal in dimethylformamide (DMF, obtained from Aldi Chemical). Select ion monitoring following electron impact ionization, rather than the chemical ionization of the original method, was used to identify and quantitate cocaine and BE.