History of drug use, will it effect my future surgery procedures?

Question

My high school years up until college I was a heavy adderall user (still am). I also used MDMA and cocaine frequently at parties. I'm concerned if this will have any impact cardiac wise if I go under anesthesia? I know that these drugs can effect the heart I'm just wondering if it's possible to develop and underlying heart condition?

Jerome Edelstein, MD · Answer

Hello,Thank you for your question. Yes, you may have stressed your heart to the point that anaesthesia is less safe for you. You must discuss this with your Plastic Surgeon and likely your anaesthesiologist. You may undergo cardiac testing but this won't necessarily show your potential risks. As well, cocaine use and nicotine reduce blood flow so with impaired circulation, your risk of poor healing/ wound issues would increase. In my opinion you should be off all of these drugs for at least 6 months before considering an elective surgery and pending further testing and discussion with your board certified Plastic Surgeon.All the best

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS · Answer

Short answer: possibly. With potentially fatal consequences.Longer answer--I'm glad you specifically asked about surgery, as no plastic surgeon I know would agree to perform elective surgery on someone still actively using illegal or non-prescribed drugs. Risks exist even with perfectly healthy patients who do NOT use illicit drugs, so it makes absolutely no sense for you to request elective surgery, or for any surgeon to be so foolish to agree to perform same on someone who has not stopped this unsafe use and successfully passed a thorough pre-operative physical. Even if you stopped this use, your risks could still be elevated. Please stop. You never know when you might need non-elective surgery, and then you and your surgeon will simply be forced to accept those risks. Best wishes! Dr. Tholen

D`Arcy Honeycutt, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question.  I'm glad you are concerned and looking out for yourself.  I have read reports of silent heart damage with cocaine use.  Problems could be heart attack with scarring and left ventricle hypertrophy.  Adderall and MDMA can also cause heart problems.  So yes, it is possible to develop an underlying heart condition.  I would suggest you stop using these drugs several months before any planned surgery.  You could request an EKG to look for electrical signs of damage, but EKGs don't show everything.  You might also undergo a stress test.  Share your concerns with your trusted surgeon or anesthesia provider.  Anesthesia does put the heart under some stress.  All the best to you.

History of drug use, will it effect my future surgery procedures?

Answers (3)

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