title: Cardiac asystole following cannabis (marijuana) usage--additional mechanism for sudden death?
abstract: A 21 year old university student previously operated during infancy for an unobstructed total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage with an excellent result, was noted on a routine follow up 24 h Holter monitor to have multiple pauses related to cardiac asystole, the longest lasting 5.8 s and temporally related to marijuana inhalation. A repeat Holter was normal following a two week cessation of marijuana usage and again when carried out 3 months later. The documented periods of asystole may be a precursor of sudden death seen in addicts even without evidence of ischaemic heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: samuel.menahem@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Menahem
mesh_terms: D003645:Death, Sudden; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology*; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cannabis; Cardiac asystole; Marijuana; Sudden death