A 7-Year-Old's Heart Stopped After Accidentally Eating THC Gummies
A child experienced cardiac arrest and stopped breathing 7 hours after ingesting 75mg of delta-8-THC gummies, well beyond the standard observation window.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
A 7-year-old who ate five 15mg delta-8-THC gummies experienced 15-second asystole with apnea 7 hours after ingestion, despite being clinically stable. This is the first reported pediatric case of THC-induced asystole.
Key Numbers
75mg total delta-8-THC. Asystole >15 seconds at 7 hours post-ingestion. Bradycardia treated with 0.1mg glycopyrrolate. Discharged after 24 hours.
How They Did This
Case report with continuous telemetry monitoring.
Why This Research Matters
The standard observation period after pediatric THC ingestion is 3-6 hours. This case shows life-threatening events can occur later, suggesting current guidelines need revision.
The Bigger Picture
With cannabis edibles increasingly available in child-appealing forms, accidental pediatric ingestions are rising. Apparently stable children may develop delayed, life-threatening complications.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single case. Delta-8-THC may differ from delta-9. Mechanism not definitively established. Product potency may be imprecise.
Questions This Raises
- ?Should the observation period for pediatric THC ingestion be extended beyond 6 hours?
- ?Are delta-8-THC products more cardiotoxic in children?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cardiac arrest occurred 7 hours post-ingestion, beyond the standard 3-6 hour observation window
- Evidence Grade:
- Single case report, lowest evidence level, but first-of-its-kind finding with important clinical implications.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2024.
- Original Title:
- Asystole in a young child with tetrahydrocannabinol overdose: a case report and review of literature.
- Published In:
- Frontiers in toxicology, 6, 1371651 (2024)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05525
Evidence Hierarchy
Describes what happened to one person or a small group.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Can THC cause heart problems in children?
This case documents the first pediatric THC-induced cardiac arrest, 7 hours after accidentally eating 75mg of delta-8-THC gummies.
How long should a child be monitored after eating THC?
Current guidelines suggest 3-6 hours, but this case shows life-threatening events can occur at 7 hours.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- 420-sober-survival-guide
- CBT-cannabis-recovery
- cannabis-relapse-cycle-pattern
- cold-turkey-vs-taper-quit-weed
- dating-sober-after-quitting-weed
- exercise-quitting-weed-anxiety-brain
- grieving-quitting-weed-loss
- help-someone-quit-weed
- how-to-quit-weed
- how-to-talk-to-teenager-about-weed
- journaling-weed-withdrawal
- kids-friends-smoke-weed-parent-guide
- marijuana-anonymous-SMART-recovery-compare
- meditation-mindfulness-weed-withdrawal
- parent-smokes-weed-kids-hypocrite
- partner-still-smokes-weed
- partner-still-smokes-weed-quitting
- pink-cloud-sobriety-cannabis
- quit-weed-cold-turkey
- quit-weed-or-cut-back-which-is-better
- quit-weed-regret-went-back
- quitting-weed-20s
- quitting-weed-30s
- quitting-weed-after-years
- quitting-weed-during-crisis-divorce-job-loss
- quitting-weed-exercise
- quitting-weed-grief-loss-coping
- quitting-weed-legal-state
- quitting-weed-parent
- quitting-weed-success-stories
- quitting-weed-teenager-young-adult
- quitting-weed-triggers-environment
- relapsed-smoking-weed-what-to-do
- relapsed-weed
- should-i-quit-weed
- sober-music-festival-concert-without-weed
- supplements-weed-withdrawal
- teenager-smoking-weed-parent-guide
- telling-friends-quitting-weed
- weed-relapse-prevention-plan
- weed-relapse-why-it-happens
- weed-ritual-replacement
- weed-ruined-relationships
- weed-social-media-triggers-quit
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05525APA
Masilamani, Mats Steffi Jennifer; Leff, Rebecca; Kawai, Yu. (2024). Asystole in a young child with tetrahydrocannabinol overdose: a case report and review of literature.. Frontiers in toxicology, 6, 1371651. https://doi.org/10.3389/ftox.2024.1371651
MLA
Masilamani, Mats Steffi Jennifer, et al. "Asystole in a young child with tetrahydrocannabinol overdose: a case report and review of literature.." Frontiers in toxicology, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/ftox.2024.1371651
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Asystole in a young child with tetrahydrocannabinol overdose..." RTHC-05525. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/masilamani-2024-asystole-in-a-young
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.