2018 Volume 38 Issue 7 Pages 760-769
Malignant hyperthermia is a muscle disorder with autosomal dominant inheritance that presents mainly during general anesthesia with an abrupt temperature elevation.
Genetic predisposition, loss of suppression, and a trigger factor are all involved in the onset of malignant hyperthermia. Predisposition to malignant hyperthermia is difficult to diagnose during the preoperative workup. Clinical manifestations are non-specific but death may occur if it is not promptly recognized and treated.
The Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists established guidelines for the management of malignant hyperthermia in 2016 so that members could deepen their understanding of malignant hyperthermia and put the guidelines into practice.
These guidelines describe measures necessary to make the patient’s life the first priority. However, it is still necessary to understand the on-site situation and pathophysiology of the actual disease, since the guidelines provide only general rules that need to be adapted to each case.
