Cocaine and the Heart

The use of cocaine may be associated with either acute or chronic toxicity, and approximately 5% to 10% of emergency department visits in the United States are believed to be secondary to cocaine usage. Chest pain is the most common cocaine‐related medical problem, leading to the evaluation of approximately 64 000 patients annually for possible myocardial infarction, of which approximately 57% are admitted to the hospital, resulting in an annual cost greater than $83 million. There is a plethora of cocaine‐related cardiovascular complications, including acute myocardial ischemia and infarction, arrhythmias, sudden death, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, hypertension, aortic ruptures, and endocarditis. There is no evidence to suggest that preexisting vascular disease is a prerequisite for the development of a cocaine‐related cardiovascular event, although it may be a potentiating factor, as may be nicotine and alcohol. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.