MH Muscle Biopsy Centers
  • DIRECTORY 
    NORTH AMERICAN MALIGNANT HYPERTHERMIA
    CHCT* TESTING CENTERS
    *Caffeine Halothane Contracture Test

  • The CHCT is the standard for MH diagnostic testing and is used to determine a patient's susceptibility to MH.
    (Allen, GC, Larach MG, Kunselman AR, and The North American Malignant Hyperthermia Registry of MHAUS: The sensitivity and specificity of the caffeine-halothane contracture test: A report from the North American Malignant Hyperthermia Registry. Anesthesiology 1998; 88:579-88.  The online reference can be located at the Anesthesiology website:     www.anesthesiology.org archive March 1998).

  • Patients must be referred to specialized CHCT Centers in order to have the special biopsy for CHCT performed.

  • Muscle biopsies for CHCT MUST BE PERFORMED AT one of the designated CHCT Testing Centers because the test MUST be performed on fresh tissue.

  • Caffeine Halothane Contracture Test Current Procedural Terminology Codes

  • CHCT cannot be performed on muscle samples and SENT VIA THE MAIL.

The following centers are complying to the standardization protocol for the caffeine halothane contracture test (CHCT) that resulted from ten conferences held 11/87, 11/89, 6/90, 11/91, 9/94, 9/98, 3/01, 9/02, 6/04 and 9/07.

The Ottawa Hospital - Civic  
Campus, Ottawa, Ontario 
Kevin Nolan, MD, FRCPC
(613) 761-4169
kevin.nolan@rogers.com  
mlcrossan@ottawahospital.on.ca  

Toronto General Hospital
Toronto, Ontario
Julian Loke, MD, FRCPC
416-340-3128
Jul.loke@utoronto.ca

 Uniformed Services University of
      the Health Sciences
      Bethesda, MD
      (Military & Civilian)
      Sheila M. Muldoon, MD
      (301) 295-3532
      smuldoon@usuhs.mil

   University of California
      Davis, CA
      Timothy Tautz, MD
      (530) 752-7805
      timothy.tautz@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

      University of Minnesota
      Minneapolis, MN
      Paul A. Iaizzo, PhD
      (612) 624-7912 or -3959
       iaizz001@umn.edu

      For more info on this center:
      www.vhlab.umn.edu/mh/index.html

    Wake Forest University
      Winston-Salem, NC
      Joseph R. Tobin, MD
      (336) 716-4498
      jtobin@wfubmc.edu

 

MHAUS
PO Box 1069
Sherburne NY 13460
(607) 674-7901

(List updated 9/29/2008)