These direct and apparently straightforward questions have been posed for as many years as I have been involved in the study of MH. If one checks the medical literature, the incidence of MH events ranges from one in 5,000 to one in 100,000 anesthetics. That is quite a wide range. In addition, how many people are at risk for MH is also unclear?
As all of you who are reading this know, dantrolene sodium is THE drug to treat malignant hyperthermia. There are some important and interesting changes and insights developing with this drug that I would like to explore with you.
The term Malignant Hyperthermia is most often applied to the syndrome that was first described in 1961 as a fatal reaction to general anesthesia. MH is the specific name given to the inherited disorder that leads individuals to develop a hypermetabolic reaction to certain general anesthetics and succinylcholine. And yes, a few individuals at risk for MH also experience problems resembling the MH syndrome with certain environmental stressors, such as heat and exercise. An MH reaction is terminated by the administration of dantrolene - a specific antidote for the MH reaction.
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