Cannabis and surgery: more heart attacks, fewer clots? What do clinicians think?

An observational study presented at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2026 found that patients who use cannabis have a higher risk of myocardial infarction during and after surgery. At the same time, their risk of dangerous venous thromboembolism appears lower. This is an association, not proven causation, and other factors may have influenced the result. What shall we discuss: — Do you ask patients about cannabis during preoperative assessment, and does it change how you judge their cardiovascular risk? — How could one explain this combination of more heart attacks but fewer venous clots? Which confounders seem most likely to you? — Is this evidence enough to discuss stopping cannabis before elective surgery, or do we need prospective studies first? For USMLE: THC acts via CB1 receptors to cause tachycardia and raise myocardial oxygen demand, so it is useful to link this to perioperative MI and DVT prevention. Full article: drasiiavinograd.com/blog/cannabis-and-surgery-heart-attack-risk-dvt-an Source: Medical Xpress medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-cannabis-linked-higher-heart-surgery.ht