Malignant Hyperthermia

Malignant hyperthermia, or malignant hyperpyrexia (MH), is a rare but frightening condition that occurs with an incidence of between 1:6,000 and 1:50,000 general anesthetics. To put this in context, a full-time anesthesiologist is likely to see one case in his or her working lifetime, and a major children's hospital may expect to see one case every 2 to 3 years. Its presentation is nonspecific and the course of MH can be insidious or rapidly progressive.

Metabolic, endocrine, and environmental injury

Metabolic acidosisHypernatraemiaHyponatraemiaHyperkalaemiaHypokalaemiaHypercalcaemiaHypocalcaemiaHyperphosphataemiaHypophosphataemiaHypermagnesaemiaHypomagnesaemiaDiabetic ketoacidosisHyperosmolar hyperglycaemic stateHypoglycaemiaAddison’s diseaseThyroid stormPhaeochromocytoma and carcinoid syndromeMalignant hyperpyrexia and neurolept malignant syndromeHyperthermia and heat injuryHypothermiaMetabolic acidosis is defined as pH <7.36 associated with low bicarbonate (<23 mmol/L). PaCO...