Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Malignant Hyperthermia, Kathryn Hernandez

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a condition in which the body goes into a hypermetabolic state affecting skeletal muscle in response to receiving inhaled anesthetics or the neuromuscular blocking agent, succinylcholine. MH is an autosomal dominant disorder that is most closely related to a defect in the ryanodine receptor. The defective receptor causes a rapid increase of intracellular calcium causing hyperthermia, tachycardia, tachypnea, hypercapnia, increased oxygen consumption, acidosis, hyperkalemia, muscle rigidity, and rhabdomyolysis. With the complexity of this disorder and its unique pathophysiological process it is crucial that all parts of the surgical team, especially anesthesia providers, understand how to treat …