Abstract
Synthetic cannabinoids cannot be detected on a standard urine drug screen (UDS), making
them a convenient drug of abuse. We report the first case of ST elevation myocardial
infarction (STEMI) in a young patient due to coronary artery thrombosis secondary
to synthetic cannabinoid use and concurrent COVID-19 infection. A 38-year-old previously
healthy male developed severe chest pain and was found to have anterior STEMI and
COVID-19 infection. Coronary angiography showed acute thrombotic occlusion of the
mid-left anterior descending artery that was managed with thrombectomy and stent placement.
He only required supportive care for COVID-19. A comprehensive literature search revealed
34 additional cases of STEMI with synthetic cannabinoid use; majority were males (97%)
with mean age of 29 years. 29 patients (85.3%) underwent coronary angiography and
majority had left anterior descending artery (LAD) involvement (55%), with 13 (44.8%)
undergoing stent placement. We highlight STEMI as a potentially lethal complication
of synthetic cannabinoids; prompt angiography may be lifesaving.
Key Indexing Terms
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 08, 2022
Accepted:
May 2,
2022
Received:
October 7,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
