Department of Emergency Medicine

UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Vascular

Title: Cardiovascular Complications of Cocaine

Keywords: Cardiovascular, CocaineC (PubMed Search)

Posted: 9/15/2008 by Rob Rogers, MD (Updated: 4/25/2024)
Click here to contact Rob Rogers, MD

Key Cardiovascular complications of cocaine:

  • Myocardial ischemia and infarction
  • Myocarditis and cardiomyopathy
  • Aortic dissection
  • Vessel thrombosis
  • Stroke (usually hemorrhagic) 
  • Visceral ischemia

Pearls:

  • Cocaine and abdominal pain=mesenteric ischemia, hemoperitoneum (described)
  • Cocaine and chest pain=MI, aortic dissection
  • Cocaine and extremity pain=arterial thrombosis, aortic dissection
  • ~ 6% of cocaine chest pain patients rule in for MI

References

 Restrepo CS, et al. Cardiovascular complications of cocaine: Imaging findings. Emerg Radiol 2008


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