Texas, United States; 6 July 2023.
Scientists in the Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine at the McGovern School of Medicine, part of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, warn that the use of marijuana as a treatment after major elective surgery could lead to death.
According to research, excessive clinical use of marijuana is linked to a variety of complications after major elective surgery, including blood clots, stroke, difficulty breathing, kidney problems, and even death. Death is also included.
“Our findings complement previous studies that have identified significant associations between cannabis use disorders and perioperative complications,” the study authors wrote in the report. The research team is from the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at the McGovern School of Medicine, which is part of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
This is because marijuana affects blood flow to the brain and body, lowers breathing and body temperature, contributes to airway obstructions, increases blood pressure, increases heart rate, affects heart rhythm is, and many more, that can make recovery from surgery more difficult.
And while you might think that marijuana eases pain, the reality is that it increases pain after an operation, according to a study out in October 2020.
This new research indicates that about 3 in 10 marijuana users develop a dependence on weed, in addition to affecting their ability to think and plan.
With the clinical use of marijuana permitted, cannabis consumption has increased among people over the age of 65, which experts have called a serious risk.
Researchers analyzed data from the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample on 12,422 hospitalizations after 11 types of major elective non-cardiac surgery. Surgeries included two types of hernia repair, colon or gallbladder surgery, breast lump biopsy, mastectomy or hysterectomy, hip or knee replacement, spinal fusion, and lumbar disc surgery.
More than 6,200 of the 12,422 patients had a cannabis use disorder, according to the study, and were carefully matched with patients who did not.
Compared to people who were not highly dependent or addicted to marijuana, people with cannabis use disorder were more likely to have complications from these surgeries.
The most significant associations were coronary artery blockage, stroke, kidney damage, blood clots, respiratory complications, infection, and in-hospital death.
*With information: CNN
