Abstract
Marijuana is the world's most commonly used illicit drug. Its use is estimated to be around 2% to 5% of the worldwide population and the most commonly used route of use is inhalation. Although not completely elucidated, marijuana has been linked with lung damage and bullous formation. We report a case of a young man with a significant history of marijuana smoking who presented with a recurrent large spontaneous pneumothorax refractory to non-surgical management.
Highlights
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance around the globe
We report a case of a young man with a significant history of marijuana smoking who presented with a recurrent large spontaneous pneumothorax refractory to non-surgical management
We present a case of a young man with a significant history of marijuana smoking who presented with recurrent large spontaneous pneumothorax with a challenging course of management
Summary
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance around the globe. The use of cannabis is estimated to be between 3 to 5% of the whole world population [1]. We present a case of a young man with a significant history of marijuana smoking who presented with recurrent large spontaneous pneumothorax with a challenging course of management. The pain started after a coughing spell while smoking marijuana He endorsed shortness of breath but denied any physical trauma. His past medical history is significant for a pneumothorax that has resolved three-month ago. Social history was significant for daily marijuana and tobacco smoking. Upon presentation, his peripheral capillary oxygen saturation was 96% on 2 liters by nasal cannula. Auscultation of the lungs revealed diminished air entry on the right side of the chest. Chest radiograph (CXR) revealed large right-sided pneumothorax affecting 50%-60% of the lung (Figure 1). The patient was discharged from the hospital to follow up in the outpatient after smoking cessation counselling
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