Acute cardiac care & resuscitationCohort study
Association Between Recreational Drug Use and Cardiovascular Events Post-Hospitalization in France
- prospective multicentric study
- all consecutive patients admitted to the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) over 2 weeks in April 2021
- 39 French centers
- systematic urinary testing upon admission
- outcomes adjudicated by 2 senior cardiologists
- multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusted for traditional prognostic factors
Authors' conclusion
Recreational drug use markedly increases the risk of 1-year adverse cardiovascular outcomes in ICCU patients highlighting the need for targeted, tailored interventions.
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive patients admitted to the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) at French centers, excluding scheduled hospitalization, hospitalization within 24 hours before ICCU admission, or in-hospital deathpatients assessed, 157 (11.3%) had an initial positive test
- Participants
- 1,392 patients
- Exposure
- Recreational drug users vs nonusers
- drug usersn = 157
- Outcome
- MACCE:
- Cardiovascular death
- Nonfatal myocardial infarction
- Stroke
- Follow-up
- 1 year
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
drug users vs nonusersRisk difference (95% CI)
higher incidence among drug users
6.7%(1.5%–12.2%)
drug users vs nonusersHazard ratio (95% CI)
adjusted for traditional prognostic factors
2.91(1.68–5.05)
- patients experiencing major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) overall
- 94 (6.7%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | hazard ratio (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| MACCE by cannabis or opioid use alone · 1 year — cannabis vs nonusers | 1.77 (1.02–3.08) | |
| MACCE by cannabis or opioid use alone · 1 year — opioids vs nonusers | 3.60 (1.57–8.23) | |
| 0.10.31310Hazard ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Association Between Recreational Drug Use and Cardiovascular Events Post-Hospitalization in France. Circ Popul Health Outcomes. Published 13 January 2026. doi:10.1161/circoutcomes.124.011905
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it