The diagnosis of death by neurological criteria (DNC) requires the exclusion of any clinical effect attributable to xenobiotics. We undertook a retrospective analysis of enquiries to the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) relating to DNC over a 10-year period. Enquiries were categorised as toxicological, where exposure to a non-therapeutically administered xenobiotic was implicated in the clinical presentation and non-toxicological where exposure to the xenobiotic was not the primary cause of the clinical state. The frequency of enquiry to the NPIS regarding xenobiotics and DNC demonstrates that it remains a valuable source of expert advice.
Keywords: Diagnosis of death by neurological criteria; poisoning.
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