Infant death associated with maternal methamphetamine use during pregnancy and delivery: A case report

• A male infant was delivered at home and was estimated to be stillborn.
• The mother had used a stimulant during the pregnancy and before the delivery.
• In the blood, 1.60 mg/L of methamphetamine was detected.
• The concentration suggests the association between the intoxication and the death.
• Compared to the past report, the concentration is the highest in the infant cases.

The case described in this report is of a male infant who was found dead in a closet. His mother delivered the infant in the kitchen, left him wrapped in a towel, and called emergency medical services 4 days after the delivery. At the autopsy, the growth suggests a full-term delivery, significant pathological findings were not observed, and the infant was estimated to be stillborn. After the autopsy, the police investigation discovered that the mother used a stimulant during the pregnancy and shortly before the rupture of the membrane. Toxicological analysis showed 1.60 mg/L of methamphetamine in the blood, strongly suggesting that the fetal death was associated with this acute intoxication. Thus far, only a few cases of infant deaths have been reported in association with methamphetamine intoxication. The present case showed the highest blood concentration of methamphetamine compared to the past infant cases with this intoxication.