Role of liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HR/MS) in clinical toxicology

LC-HR/MS offers unique opportunities for time-sensitive clinical analysis of blood samples from intoxicated patients and for comprehensive screening in a wide range of situations and materials. While the identification is not as definitive as that obtained by conventional fragmentation MS, the presumptive identification can be confirmed later with standards and spectral library matches. Optimum utilization of the presumptive diagnosis requires close collaboration between the laboratory analysts and their clinical counterparts.