Some recently published studies have showed that consumption of cannabis might impact your surgery, especially due to the way it interacts with anesthesia since both affect the central nervous system. Patients who consume cannabis before surgical procedures often need higher amount of anesthetics. Not just that, but the way marijuana affects a person’s body in general can cause complications during a surgery. These are some of the reasons due to which doctors advise patients to avoid the intake of marijuana in any form, especially too close to a surgery.
Physical effects of Cannabis before surgery
The physical effects of marijuana can increase the risk of complications. It’s especially risky for patients to go under surgery within an hour or two of consuming marijuana. Marijuana raises a person’s heart rate and lowers their blood pressure. Patients who get high before being sedated could see an increased risk of cardiac problems, including heart attack. These changes, in turn, can complicate matters if a person’s blood pressure falls during surgery. In addition, it can change the way the body responds to anesthesia.
Patients could also experience breathing problems from heightened airway sensitivity.
One case study looked at a person who smoked marijuana four hours before surgery. The patient experienced an airway obstruction during the procedure. Airway obstruction is a severe complication that can lead to death. In the case study, researchers believed airway hyper-reactivity caused the obstruction. This condition, in which the airway spasms and narrows, is known in cigarette smokers but was not previously reported in marijuana smokers.
Cannabis and anesthesia
Studies have found that those who use marijuana before surgery require more anesthesia than those who do not. This makes it extremely important to discuss marijuana use with the doctor before surgery to ensure the reception of adequate sedation.
The use of marijuana, especially immediately before surgery, can change the doses needed for sedation. A person who routinely uses marijuana requires substantially higher doses of one commonly used medication, propofol.
One study looked at the doses of propofol required to intubate people who routinely smoked marijuana compared with those who did not. Those who used marijuana required a dramatic increase in sedation.
Cannabis and post surgery recovery
Marijuana use can impact how a patient recovers from surgery. Those who regularly use cannabis to help manage pain may have an increased tolerance when it comes to pain management supports.
Regularly smoking marijuana, like smoking cigarettes and cigars, can increase the length of time a person needs to stay on the ventilator after surgery. The chances of being on the ventilator for a longer time can be reduced by a substantial amount by quitting smoking before surgery.
In a study of 118 people who had surgery for a broken leg, researchers compared those who had used marijuana before surgery to those who did not. Researchers presented the findings at their 2020 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
The researchers found that those who used marijuana:
- Required more anesthesia
- Reported significantly higher pain scores after surgery
- Received 58% more opioids for pain management while they recovered in the hospital
It is important to truthfully tell the doctor about the marijuana consumption. This information helps doctors correctly calculate the risks associated and take better decisions about anesthesia as well as pain management.
Final word about relation between Cannabis and surgery
No matter how worried you are about your procedure, using marijuana to relax is not wise at all, as you may end up with your surgery rescheduled or with serious complications. Regardless of how often you usually use marijuana, anesthesiologists agree that you should skip it completely on the day of surgery. You should not smoke or inhale marijuana the day of your surgery, and certainly should avoid any edible marijuana the day of surgery, since the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ guidelines for preoperative fasting do not allow any solid food for six to eight hours prior to anesthesia, in order to decrease the risk of food getting inhaled into your lungs. This can lead to aspiration pneumonia, a very serious complication that may cause death in some patients.
The physical effects of marijuana can increase the risk of complications, especially if consumed within an hour or two of anesthesia. Marijuana can raise your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. These changes are even more serious in patients with heart disease. In selected patient populations, this combination of decreased blood pressure and increased heart rate can cause ischemia (lack of blood supply) to the heart muscle, commonly known as a heart attack.
Ms Kalinga