The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner says Matthew Perry died due to “the acute effects of ketamine.” There was no alcohol, cocaine, heroin, PCP, methamphetamine, or fentanyl in his system. No illegal drugs were found in his home. Interviews with people in his life revealed that he had been clean and sober for 19 months. The medical examiner says that he smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, had COPD/emphysema, coronary artery disease, and diabetes.
Autopsy concluded Matthew Perry died from ketamine, drowning & buprenorphine. The high level of ketamine in his blood was equivalent to the amount used by doctors for general anesthesia in OT. He also had blockages in the heart vessels.
54 year old Actor Matthew Perry who had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema, as well as diabetes. He also had abused drugs in the past but was reportedly clean for 19 months before his death. He was on ketamine infusion therapy “with the most recent therapy reportedly one and a half weeks before death.” He was found unresponsive floating face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on Saturday, October 28. His cause of death was initially listed as ‘deferred’ by the Medical Examiner’s Office. After autopsy it was revealed that, due to elevated levels of ketamine in his body after death, the main lethal effects were likely due to an excessive stimulation of the heart and decreased breathing. The drowning aspect is considered because he likely submerged in the hot tub and lost consciousness due to the effects of the ketamine in his system. Buprenorphine, and other opioids, can lead to respiratory depression – when you breathe too slowly or too shallowly, leading to carbon dioxide building up in your blood. Ketamine can result in an increase in blood pressure, which the medical examiner noted in Perry’s autopsy. The heart disease worsened the effects of ketamine on his heart. Buprenorphine, although not at toxic levels, played a role by adding respiratory effects when combined with high ketamine levels. The levels of ketamine in his peripheral (outer) blood were measured at 3540 ng/ml, and in his central (inner) blood, they were at 3271 ng/ml. To put this in perspective, during monitored surgery or anesthesia, similar levels of ketamine are usually found, ranging from 1000 to 6000 ng/ml. Perry’s death was accidental, resulting from a combination of ketamine, drowning, heart disease, and the effects of buprenorphine. No evidence suggests foul play, and no prescription medications or drug paraphernalia were found near the hot tub or pool.
