Malignant hyperthermia

The work of MHAUS has increased awareness of this rare condition. The development of safe alternative anesthetic drugs, improved monitoring and effective treatment have lowered the mortality of MH to almost zero. The key to success is early diagnosis and use of dantrolene to abort the attack. Future research will improve genotyping and help elucidate the molecular mechanism of excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle. This will have implications in many other areas of physiology and pharmacology. Improvements in the CHCT and refinement of a variety of alternative tests may eliminate the false positives and negatives that confound phenotyping. Recent reports of fatalities from MH arising in the 'office' environment, coupled with the increasing popularity of this mode of surgical treatment should remind us that MH is still a serious disease. We should not become complacent and allow our high standards of monitoring and awareness of MH to lapse. The availability of dantrolene in all anesthetizing locations in an issue that has yet to be addressed.