Background: Clinical malignant hyperthermia (MH) is rare and usually occurs unexpectedly. Prompt diagnosis and correct treatment is crucial for survival of the patient developing fulminant MH. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether anaesthesiologists could make a correct diagnosis of MH and to evaluate their treatment of fulminant MH in a simulator.
Methods: Thirty-two teams (one anaesthesiologist/one nurse anaesthetist) were exposed to an event of clinical MH in a full-scale simulator. Their performance was videotaped for retrospective analysis of the treatment on the basis of the recommendations of the Danish Malignant Hyperthermia Register.
Results: All 32 teams asked the surgeon to terminate the surgery as fast as possible, switched off the vaporiser and administered 100% oxygen. Although all intended to hyperventilate the patient, only 14 teams actually managed to perform the hyperventilation. Most problems were found in teams that switched to manual ventilation. All teams treated the patient with dantrolene, and symptomatic treatment was initiated by all even though some elements of the full treatment were lacking, possibly due to the limited time available.
Conclusion: All teams diagnosed MH in the simulator satisfactorily. The surprising negative finding was that more than half of the participants failed to hyperventilate the "patient" although they intended to do so. This investigation shows that the problem in these teams' treatment of MH was more a question of practical management of the resources than lack of theoretical knowledge.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1399-6576.2001.450818.x | DOI Listing |
Clin Case Rep
January 2025
Craig R Dufresne Fairfax Virginia USA.
Freeman-Burian syndrome is a rare craniofacial syndrome surrounded by fake news. This situation shows the strong connection between the quality of a literature search and clinical reasoning displayed in patient care, especially in care of patients with rare conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA, 33613; Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32608.
Background: Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare yet potentially fatal iatrogenic syndrome that can manifest with life-threatening symptoms. Theorized to be caused by the dopamine-blocking effects of certain medications, such as antipsychotics, or the withdrawal of dopaminergic agents, NMS is characterized by hyperthermia, autonomic instability, altered mental status, and muscular rigidity. Most treated cases resolve within weeks; however, in some cases, residual catatonic symptoms can persist for months after the resolution of acute hyperthermic and hypermetabolic symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCatatonia is one of the most severe psychiatric syndromes, and clinical symptoms and etiology are very heterogeneous. When accompanied by autonomic instability and hyperthermia it’s termed malignant catatonia, which left untreated is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. First-line treatment is high dose benzodiazepines, followed by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), in case of non-response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Gen Psychiatry
January 2025
Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.
Background: Foreign language syndrome is a rare neuropsychiatric phenomenon typically following general anesthesia. To date, foreign language syndrome has not been associated with neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) in the literature. This case aims to broaden the clinical understanding of NMS by presenting an atypical manifestation of foreign language syndrome and emphasizing the need for prompt recognition of such presentations for accurate diagnosis and management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmacogenet Genomics
February 2025
Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Objectives: We aimed to classify genetic variants in RYR1 and CACNA1S associated with malignant hyperthermia using biobank genotyping data in patients exposed to triggering anesthetics without malignant hyperthermia phenotype.
Methods: We identified individuals who underwent surgery and were exposed to triggering anesthetics without malignant hyperthermia phenotype and who had RYR1 or CACNA1S genotyping data available in our biobank. We classified all variants in the cohort using a Bayesian framework of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association of Molecular Pathologists guidelines for variant classification and updated the posterior probabilities from this model with the new information from our biobank cohort.
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