New York, NY: Heart failure patients with a history of cannabis consumption possess lower in-hospital mortality rates than do those with no history of use, according to data published in the journal Cureus.
Researchers affiliated with Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in New York City assessed marijuana use and in-patient hospitalization trends for patients with congestive heart failure over a four-year period. Authors determined that cannabis users had “less all-cause in-hospital deaths and shorter hospital stays compared to non-users.”
Prior observational studies have similarly reported that marijuana use is associated with a decreased risk of in-hospital mortality among patients suffering from heart failure and heart attacks. Other studies have reported that cannabis exposure is associated with greater in-hospital survival rates among patients with cancer, pancreatitis, burn-related injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other types of severe trauma.
Full text of the study, “Congestive heart failure hospitalization trends and cannabis use disorder (2010-2014): National trends and outcomes,” appears in Cureus.