Comparative analysis of fatal methadone poisonings in chemical-toxicological and forensic chemical studies in St. Petersburg for 2020-2022

The article provides a comparative analysis and assessment of the results of methadone detection based on retrospective data from chemical-toxicological and forensic chemical studies conducted at the State Budgetary Institution of St. Petersburg Research Institute of Emergency Medicine named after I.I. Dzhanelidze and at the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Healthcare Institution "Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination" for the period 2020-2022. Controversial aspects of the conducted studies were identified, as well as the lack of a unified approach to determining methadone in acute poisoning before and after the patient’s death. Additionally, the article shows the shortcomings in conducting chemical-toxicological and forensic chemical studies, highlights the problem of the inadmissibility of a superficial approach to their work, and suggests ways to eliminate existing shortcomings.