In recent years, several U.S. states have eased their laws regarding medical and non-medical cannabis use, leading to ongoing research into the health effects of cannabis. Now, the first-of-its-kind study has found associations between different patterns of cannabis use by patients and the extent of their recovery from surgery.
After alcohol, cannabis is the most commonly used psychotropic drug in the United States. As of November 2022, 21 states, two territories and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation regulating nonmedical cannabis use by adults. Massachusetts legislative changes from 2012 to 2016 increased cannabis use by patients undergoing surgery.
A lot of research has been done on cannabis and its effects on health, both good and bad. Studies on non-surgical patients report that cannabis use increases the risk of psychiatric disorders, adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Studies like this suggest that continued cannabis use may lead to the need for higher levels of medical care in general.
However, there are few data on how cannabis use affects patients undergoing surgery and postoperative recovery.
In a recent new study, a team of anesthesiologists at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Massachusetts, found that patients who used cannabis were more likely to be hospitalized after surgery, including unplanned admissions to the intensive care unit. We hypothesized that it would likely require a level of medical care. care unit (ICU), hospital readmission, or discharge to a post-acute care facility.
Researchers examined anonymous data from 210,639 patients who underwent noncardiac surgery between January 2008 and June 2020. %), and those diagnosed with a cannabis use disorder (13.4%).
Cannabis use disorder is a recognized psychiatric disorder, defined in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as “a problematic pattern of cannabis use leading to clinically significant disability or distress.” It has been. Simply put, people with cannabis use disorders are unable to quit despite the health, occupational, and social problems that drug use causes.
Researchers found that patients who used cannabis holistically had higher rates of comorbidities such as substance abuse, depression, anxiety and schizoaffective disorder. Patients were younger and more likely to be male.
Patients with cannabis use disorders often require more advanced postoperative care than non-cannabis users. I was.
“[A] A history of cannabis use disorders may serve as an indicator of potentially complicating factors for patients undergoing anesthesia, which may contribute to the need for higher levels of medical utilization after surgery. said Maximillian Schaefer, corresponding author of the study.
Interestingly, cannabis users without a cannabis use disorder were less likely to require advanced care after surgery compared with patients who had never used cannabis. It was associated with shorter hospital stays in these patients compared to non-cannabis users.
“Our analysis reveals that cannabis use is very common and is increasing significantly among patients undergoing surgery, reflecting trends in the general population. Different effects on post-procedure healthcare utilization were observed between patients with moderate nonmedical cannabis use and those with cannabis use disorders.”
Future studies will provide information on the differences in outcomes between patients who use cannabis nonmedically and those diagnosed with cannabis use disorders.
For medical professionals, the research results are informative. These reflect the increase in cannabis use in the community since it was widely legalized and the increased likelihood that patients undergoing surgery will become cannabis users. This information can be factored into intraoperative and postoperative risk assessments.
This research lancetof electronic clinical medicine journal.
Source: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
