A Heart Attack Linked to Slow Blood Flow in the Heart After Long-Term Cannabis Use | Research

The takeaway

A patient who used cannabis regularly for a long period experienced a heart attack (inferior MI with ST elevation) associated with slow coronary flow despite having no arterial blockages.

Read this if you use cannabis and want to understand potential cardiovascular risks.

Heart attack with slow coronary flow and no blockages in a regular cannabis user

What the researchers found

A patient who had consumed cannabis regularly over a long period presented with an inferior myocardial infarction (heart attack) showing ST segment elevation on ECG.

Coronary angiography revealed slow coronary flow (SCF), defined as slow movement of contrast dye through the coronary arteries in the absence of significant arterial blockages.

The patient lacked the common cardiovascular risk factors typically associated with heart attacks, suggesting cannabis use may have contributed to the coronary event.

The authors noted that recent research had linked cannabis consumption to increased coronary heart disease risk and acute coronary syndromes, particularly in young individuals without standard risk factors.

Why it matters

While cannabis is generally not associated with coronary artery disease, this case adds to a small but growing number of reports linking cannabis use to acute cardiac events, potentially through mechanisms like vasospasm or slow coronary flow.

The numbers in context

One patient. Regular long-term cannabis use. Inferior MI with ST elevation. Slow coronary flow on angiography. No significant coronary artery stenosis.

How the study worked

Single case report documenting ST-elevation myocardial infarction with slow coronary flow on angiography in a chronic cannabis user.

What this study cannot tell us

Single case report cannot establish causation. Other contributing factors may not have been fully evaluated. Slow coronary flow has multiple causes beyond cannabis. The temporal relationship between cannabis use and the cardiac event was not specified.

How to read the evidence

Single case report. Cannot establish causation. Adds to a small body of similar case reports.

When this study was published

Published in 2010. Cannabis cardiovascular risk has received more attention since then, with larger studies generally confirming a small but real risk of acute cardiac events.

The bigger picture

Cannabis can acutely increase heart rate and, in some cases, may trigger coronary vasospasm or alter coronary blood flow. While serious cardiovascular events from cannabis are rare, they appear to occur disproportionately in young people without typical risk factors.

Questions still open

Through what mechanism does cannabis affect coronary blood flow? How common are cannabis-related cardiac events? Should patients with cardiovascular risk factors be warned about cannabis use?

Common questions

Can cannabis cause a heart attack?

Case reports like this have documented heart attacks associated with cannabis use, particularly in young people without typical risk factors. While this is rare, cannabis can increase heart rate and may trigger coronary vasospasm. The overall cardiovascular risk is considered low but not zero.

What is slow coronary flow?

Slow coronary flow is a condition where blood moves through the coronary arteries more slowly than normal despite no significant blockages. It can reduce oxygen delivery to the heart muscle and, in rare cases, trigger a heart attack.

Read the original research

ST segment elevation myocardial infarction due to slow coronary flow occurring after cannabis consumption.

Kardiologia polska, 68(11), 1266-8

View on PubMed ↗

Citation

Karabulut, Ahmet; Cakmak, Mahmut. (2010). ST segment elevation myocardial infarction due to slow coronary flow occurring after cannabis consumption.. Kardiologia polska, 68(11), 1266-8.