P1148 - Impact of Cannabis Use in Patients With Cirrhosis and Clinical Outcomes

Chima Amadi, MD, MBA¹, Joseph Heaton, MD², Toni M. Jackson, DO³, Kennedy Watson, BS¹, Saajid Azhar, MD⁴, Hafsa M. Gundroo, MBBS¹, Daniela Ortega, MD¹, Ndausung Udongwo, MD^1
1Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; ²Hackensack Meridian Health, Neptune, NJ; ³Morehouse School of Medicine, Far Rockaway, NY; ⁴Louisiana State University Health, Shreveport, LA

Introduction: The impact of cannabis use on various medical conditions including cirrhosis has become a topic of interest. Few observational studies have reported improvement in outcomes in these groups of patients, but there is no report on readmission rate. This study aims to investigate the impact of cannabis use on 30-day readmission (30-DR) in cirrhotic patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Nationwide Readmission Database from 2017-2020. Cirrhotic patients were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes, and further categorized into cannabis users and non-cannabis users. Demographic, clinical characteristics and comorbidities were analyzed using STATA 18. The primary outcome was 30-DR, while secondary outcomes were inpatient mortality, length of stay (LOS), and total hospital charge.

Results: Between 2017 and 2020, 345,770 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 37.5% (n = 129,663) were females, and the mean age was 50.1 ± 10.6 (cannabis group) vs 58.0 ± 12.1 (non-cannabis group) (adjusted Wald test p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the likelihood of readmission between the two groups (OR 0.93 95% CI 0.86 - 1.00, p = 0.055). However, logistic regression analysis revealed a lower rate of mortality (OR 0.57 95% CI 0.48 - 0.67, p < 0.001), LOS (-1.81 95% CI -2.01,-1.61, p < 0.001), and total charges (-$6,684 95% CI -$7470, -$5898) in the cannabis group when compared to the non-cannabis group.

Discussion: Our study sheds light on the potential advantages of cannabis use in cirrhotic patients, indicating lower mortality rates, decreased LOS, and reduced hospital charges. While our study did not find an impact on 30-DR, the observed benefits in other clinical outcomes emphasize the need for more research to elucidate the role of cannabis in improving overall clinical outcomes in cirrhotic patients.


Disclosures:


Chima Amadi, MD, MBA¹, Joseph Heaton, MD², Toni M. Jackson, DO³, Kennedy Watson, BS¹, Saajid Azhar, MD⁴, Hafsa M. Gundroo, MBBS¹, Daniela Ortega, MD¹, Ndausung Udongwo, MD¹. P1148 - Impact of Cannabis Use in Patients With Cirrhosis and Clinical Outcomes, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.