Woman, 22, Dies From Cannabis-Induced Vomiting That Triggered Fatal Heart Disorder Before Doctors Declared Her Brain Dead
Last Updated: Tuesday July 9, 2024
(The Daily Mail) A chronic marijuana user died after a severe multi-day bout of vomiting and abdominal pain caused a fatal heart rhythm disorder that led to brain death.
The 22-year-old woman treated in Canada began using weed at 14 and had been suffering from multiple bouts of severe cannabis hyperemesis syndrome - a condition marked by violent, painful, repeated episodes of severe vomiting - for more than three years.
When she was admitted to the hospital with vomiting and abdominal pain, she developed a specific life-threatening irregular heartbeat called torsades de pointes, which caused her heart to stop.
While doctors were able to restart her heart, her brain had already suffered catastrophic loss of oxygen and she was declared brain dead four days later.