Malignant hyperthermia consists of an uncontrolled increase in body temperature, which exceeds the body’s ability to lose heat, without any change in the adjustment of the hypothalamic thermoregulatory center, which usually occurs in febrile situations.
Malignant hyperthermia can occur in people with an inherited skeletal muscle abnormality who are exposed to inhaled anesthetics, such as halotane or enflurane, for example, as well as after exposure to a muscle relaxant called succinilcoline.
- Treatment involves cooling the body and administering medications into the vein.
- Which should be done as soon as possible.
- As malignant hyperthermia can be fatal.
Malignant hyperthermia is caused by a hereditary abnormality that occurs in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscles, which causes a rapid increase in the amount of calcium in cells, in response to the administration of inhaled anesthetics, such as halothane or enflurane, by example, or due to exposure to a muscle relaxant succinylcholine.
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This increase in calcium in the skeletal muscle, leads to the formation of an exaggerated muscle contracture, causing a sharp increase in temperature.
Symptoms of malignant hyperthermia usually occur during exposure to anesthesia and include high temperature, increased heart rate and muscle metabolism, muscle stiffness and injury, acidosis and muscle instability.
Malignant hyperthermia should be treated immediately by interrupting anesthesia and administration in the dantena sodium vein, for a period of 24 to 48 hours, until the person can use the medicine orally, if still necessary.
In addition to administering this medicine, the person’s body can be cooled with wet sponges, fans or ice baths and, if these external cooling measures are not sufficient, the body can also be cooled internally by gastric lavage with physiological cold serum.
In more severe cases, where the temperature cannot be lowered enough, hemodialysis or cardiopulmonary bypass with blood cooling may be necessary.