title: Coronary no-flow and ventricular tachycardia associated with habitual marijuana use.
abstract: A 34-year-old man reported heart fluttering and near syncope a few hours after marijuana smoking. In the emergency department, he was found to have a right bundle-branch-type ventricular tachycardia. The patient underwent a successful electric cardioversion. Coronary angiography showed no pericardial artery stenosis yet very slow coronary blood flow. Clinical tachycardia was also inducible in the electrophysiologic laboratory. After verapamil therapy and cessation of marijuana, his coronary flow normalized and ventricular tachycardia was no longer inducible in the electrophysiologic laboratory. Marijuana use might affect coronary microcirculation and cause ventricular tachycardia. Verapamil therapy and cessation of smoking might be curative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI 54449, USA. rezkalla.shereif@marshfieldclinic.org
authors.forename: Shereif H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Rezkalla
authors.forename: Param
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kloner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002037:Bundle-Branch Block / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000628:therapy; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004554:Electric Countershock; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000628:therapy; D014700:Verapamil / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D014700:Verapamil