Cannabis Intoxication Does Not Impact Nutritional Status in Patients with Small Burns

Abstract Burn patients exhibit one of the most intense hypermetabolic responses among critically ill populations, making them highly susceptible to malnutrition—linked to prolonged hospital stays and delayed wound healing. While cannabis is recognized for its appetite-stimulating properties in acute settings, its association with the nutritional demands of burn injuries remains underexplored. A single-institution retrospective study was conducted on adult burn patients with 20% total body surface area (TBSA) who tested positive for cannabis on admission urine toxicology between 2015 and 2024. These patients were matched 1:1 with controls who tested negative for cannabis. The primary predictor variable was cannabis use, while outcomes included burn characteristics, prealbumin and albumin levels, overall outcomes, and complications. Significance was set at p.05. We analyzed 76 cannabis positive burn patients and 76 controls. No significant differences were found in demographics or outcomes. When controlling for BMI, cannabis intoxication was not significantly associated with changes in admission prealbumin (18.8 vs 19.2, p=.804) or admission albumin (3.9 vs 4.0, p=.375) levels. There was also no significant variation in the number of days post-admission required to achieve peak prealbumin (3.8 vs 3.9, p=.876) and albumin level (0.3 vs 1.0, p=.088). Increased age was associated with a reduction in admission albumin (p.001), and Caucasian patients had increased albumin compared to other races (p=.048). Cannabis intoxication had no significant association with pre-burn injury nutritional status. Further research with larger sample sizes is necessary to fully understand the complex relationship.