A new study shows that regular cannabis users are about 20% more likely to have serious complications after surgery, including blood clots, stroke, and kidney issues.
“Just to put that in context, that’s about similar to the major complications you can have if you’re a tobacco smoker,” study author Dr. Paul Potnuru told Charles Feldman and Rob Archer on KNX In Depth.
The UTHealth Houston study looked at data from thousands of major elective surgeries between 2016 and 2019. Patients who had cannabis use disorder were more likely to have issues after surgery, and tended to stay in the hospital for longer.
“We’re seeing much bigger numbers of people showing up who use cannabis, and that’s why these effects are becoming a little more obvious now,” Potnuru said.
The study didn’t look at different forms of cannabis consumption, like smoking versus edibles, but Potnuru said most of the effects on the body are likely to be similar.
“On a molecular level, we know that the active part of cannabis, the cannabinoids, they do cause things like blood vessels to spasm, which can cause heart attacks and strokes,” he said. “It can suppress your immune system, which will cause you to have more infections.”
Heavy cannabis users also need more anesthesia, Potnuru said, and they also tend to need more pain medication after surgery.
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia introduced new guidelines earlier this year recommending that all patients should be asked about cannabis use before operations.
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