Acute anterior myocardial infarction after "Bonzai" use

Potential perioperative cardiovascular outcomes in cannabis/cannabinoid users. A call for caution

Background

Cannabis is one of the most widely used psychoactive substances. Its components act through several pathways, producing a myriad of side effects, of which cardiovascular events are the most life-threatening. However, only a limited number of studies address cannabis's perioperative impact on patients during noncardiac surgery.

Methods

Studies were identified by searching the PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases using relevant keyword combinations pertinent to the topic.

Results

Current evidence shows that cannabis use may cause several cardiovascular events, including abnormalities in cardiac rhythm, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and cerebrovascular events. Additionally, cannabis interacts with anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents, decreasing their efficacy. Finally, the interplay of cannabis with inhalational and intravenous anesthetic agents may lead to adverse perioperative cardiovascular outcomes.

Conclusions

The use of cannabis can trigger cardiovascular events that may depend on factors such as the duration of consumption, the route of administration of the drug, and the dose consumed, which places these patients at risk of drug-drug interactions with anesthetic agents. However, large prospective randomized clinical trials are needed to further elucidate gaps in the body of knowledge regarding which patient population has a greater risk of perioperative complications after cannabis consumption.

Marijuana-induced ST-elevation myocardial infarction in adolescents and young adults: A case report and comprehensive review of literature

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) is reported to be 805,000 cases annually in the United States (US). Although commonly occurring in elderly individuals with underlying cardiovascular comorbidities or younger generations with familial predispositions serving as risk factors, it is extremely rare for an isolated event to occur in teenagers with a history of marijuana use. In this article, we report a rare case of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a 19-year-old male with no past medical history that was attributed to marijuana use. This case report and review of literature depict a potential association between marijuana use and STEMI. We also highlight potential clinical implications to aid healthcare professionals in making an early diagnosis and achieving a timely management strategy.

Synthetic cannabinoids and ST elevation myocardial infarction

Synthetic cannabinoids cannot be detected on a standard urine drug screen (UDS), making them a convenient drug of abuse. We report the first case of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a young patient due to coronary artery thrombosis secondary to synthetic cannabinoid use and concurrent COVID-19 infection. A 38-year-old previously healthy male developed severe chest pain and was found to have anterior STEMI and COVID-19 infection. Coronary angiography showed acute thrombotic occlusion of the mid-left anterior descending artery that was managed with thrombectomy and stent placement. He only required supportive care for COVID-19. A comprehensive literature search revealed 34 additional cases of STEMI with synthetic cannabinoid use; majority were males (97%) with mean age of 29 years. 29 patients (85.3%) underwent coronary angiography and majority had left anterior descending artery (LAD) involvement (55%), with 13 (44.8%) undergoing stent placement. We highlight STEMI as a potentially lethal complication of synthetic cannabinoids; prompt angiography may be lifesaving.

A Literature Review of Cannabis and Myocardial Infarction-What Clinicians May Not Be Aware Of

Increasing legalization and expanding medicinal use have led to a significant rise in global cannabis consumption. With this development, we have seen a growing number of case reports describing adverse cardiovascular events, specifically, cannabis-induced myocardial infarction (MI). However, there are considerable knowledge gaps on this topic among health care providers. This review aims to provide an up-to-date review of the current literature, as well as practical recommendations for clinicians. We also focus on proposed mechanisms implicating cannabis as a risk factor for MI. We performed a comprehensive literature search using the MEDLINE, Cochrane, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Turning Research into Practice (TRIP) PRO databases for articles published between 2000 and 2018. A total of 92 articles were included. We found a significant number of reports describing cannabis-induced MI. This was especially prevalent among young healthy patients, presenting shortly after use. The most commonly proposed mechanisms included increased autonomic stimulation, altered platelet function, vasospasm, and direct toxic effects of smoke constituents. However, it is likely that the true pathogenesis is multifactorial. We should increase our pretest probability for MI in young patients presenting with chest pain. We also recommend against cannabis use in patients with known coronary artery disease, especially if they have stable angina. Finally, if patients are adamant about using cannabis, health care providers should recommend against smoking cannabis, avoidance of concomitant tobacco use, and use of the lowest delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol dose possible. Data quality is limited to that of observational studies and case report data. Therefore, more clinical trials are needed to determine a definitive cause-and-effect relationship.

Marijuana use and acute myocardial infarction: A systematic review of published cases in the literature

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Marijuana use has gained popularity following legalization in the US. Marijuana can affect the heart through various mechanisms. This study aims to conduct a systematic review of published case reports of individuals with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) following marijuana use.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of literature, including case reports, case series, and the letter to the editor on MEDLINE. Forty-six studies were included, with a total number of 62 patients with AMI and marijuana use.

RESULTS

The mean age was 27.7 (±10.3) years with male predominance. About 3.7 g marijuana was used for an average of 9.7 years by the patients. From the cases reporting the onset of AMI symptoms, the average time was within 5 h after last marijuana use. The angiographic findings were normal in 36.8% of cases. In 42.1% of individuals, the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded, making it the most common artery involved, followed by the right coronary artery (10.5%). Most cases were managed medically, followed by thrombectomy and stent placement, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Complications included cardio-embolic stroke, and seven deaths were reported.

CONCLUSION

It is important to consider episodic marijuana use as a significant risk factor of AMI, particularly in individuals with no cardiac risk factors, as delay in management can result in fatal outcomes including increased risk of mortality.

Electrocardiographic alterations in patients consuming synthetic cannabinoids

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to investigate the electrocardiographic parameters in patients consuming synthetic cannabinoids.

METHODS

Thirty-five patients who were consuming synthetic cannabinoids were enrolled to the study, prospectively. The control group included 35 healthy age and sex-matched volunteers. The standard 12-lead surface electrocardiograms of the study population were recorded. P maximum (P_max), P minimum (P_min), P wave dispersion, interatrial duration, P wave area in D2 derivation, abnormal P terminal force in V1 derivation, heart rate, QT interval, corrected QT, QT dispersion, PR interval duration and macrovolt T-wave alternans were evaluated by two experienced cardiologists. The intra-observer and inter-observer variations for all measurements were non-significant.

RESULTS

P_max and P_min duration was not different between the groups ( p=0.96, p=0.15, respectively). However, P wave dispersion was higher in the patient group compared to control group (34±9.4, 29.5±6.6, p=0.02, respectively). QT interval was significantly higher in the patient group than the control group (380.3±25, 365.6±22.8, p=0.01, respectively). Besides, corrected QT was higher in the patient group compared to control group (415±36.8, 392±15.5, p=0.001, respectively). QT dispersion was also higher in the patient group than the control group (39.8±10.0, 29.2±5.4, p<0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Altered electrocardiography parameters linked with atrial and ventricular arrhythmia development may be observed in patients consuming synthetic cannabinoids. These patients should be evaluated regularly for cardiovascular disease and arrhythmia development. The electrocardiogram, which is a cheap and easy test to apply, can be used to determine the pro-arrythmic risk in patients consuming synthetic cannabinoids.