Some patients with vaping-related lung injuries are being hospitalized a second time

Federal health officials investigating mysterious vaping-related lung injuries said Friday that some patients are being hospitalized for a second time, a disturbing new development in the ongoing national outbreak that has spread to every state except Alaska.

“We are aware of a handful of patients who have been readmitted for clinical care after discharge for lung injury,” said Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is heading the public health investigation.

The hospital readmissions have taken place as quickly as five days and up to 55 days after discharge, Schuchat said. It’s not known what triggered the relapses. In some cases, patients had resumed vaping. It’s also possible that initial lung damage made patients more vulnerable to other illness. Another possibility, she said, is that treatment with steroids, which many clinicians have been using to care for such injuries, may “set you up for increased infection risk.”

The CDC did not reveal exactly how many relapse cases have been logged, but Schuchat said the agency is aware of fewer than five such cases among the 1,299 that have been reported. At least 28 people have died in the vaping-related outbreak.

A 17-year-old male from the Bronx who died of vaping-related injuries Oct. 4 had been hospitalized twice. He was first hospitalized in early September and readmitted later that month. [Read More @ The Washington Post]

MJ Shareholders

MJShareholders.com is the largest dedicated financial network and leading corporate communications firm serving the legal cannabis industry. Our network aims to connect public marijuana companies with these focused cannabis audiences across the US and Canada that are critical for growth: Short and long term cannabis investors Active funding sources Mainstream media Business leaders Cannabis consumers