Cannabis Use Disorder Linked to Perioperative Complications

TUESDAY, July 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For adults undergoing major surgery, cannabis use disorder is associated with a modest increased risk for perioperative mortality and morbidity, according to a study published online July 5 in JAMA Surgery.

Paul P. Potnuru, M.D., from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study using data from the National Inpatient Sample for adult patients aged 18 to 65 years. Participants underwent major elective inpatient surgery (including cholecystectomy, colectomy, inguinal hernia repair, femoral hernia repair, mastectomy, lumpectomy, hip arthroplasty, knee arthroplasty, hysterectomy, spinal fusion, and vertebral discectomy) from January 2016 to December 2019; 6,211 patients diagnosed with cannabis use disorder were matched to 6,211 patients without cannabis use disorder.

The researchers found that in an adjusted analysis, cannabis use disorder was associated with an increased risk for perioperative morbidity and mortality compared with hospitalizations without cannabis use disorder (adjusted odds ratio, 1.19). The outcome, a composite of in-hospital mortality and seven major perioperative complications (myocardial ischemia, acute kidney injury, stroke, respiratory failure, venous thromboembolism, hospital-acquired infection, and surgical procedure-related complications), occurred more often in the group with versus without cannabis use disorder (7.73 versus 6.57 percent).

"The findings suggest that perioperative clinicians should screen patients for cannabis use and counsel them about the associated risks before planned surgery," the authors write. "Further research is needed to inform any recommendations regarding preoperative cessation of cannabis use."

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