The Malignant Hyperthermia Syndrome

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Abstract
MALIGNANT hyperthermia was first described fully in 1962, when Denborough and colleagues reported an episode in a patient with a fear of anesthesia prompted by the death of 10 of 24 relatives who had received general anesthesia.1 A genetic susceptibility to drug-induced malignant hyperthermia was confirmed by numerous subsequent reports.2 Malignant hyperthermia is a syndrome initiated by a hypermetabolic state of skeletal muscle. The underlying defect appears to be an idiopathic increase in the sarcoplasmic concentration of calcium ion.3 4 5 As a consequence, during general anesthesia total body oxygen consumption in patients with the syndrome increases two to three times as . . .