Education about malignant hyperthermia is important to medical professionals and community

Jun 11 2013

Orlando Health, the Florida Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses, and the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists took a moment to comment on a conference they are co-sponsoring with the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States in Orlando on June 29.

Orlando Health: "We are very pleased to host this informative conference," said Jamal Hakim M.D., chief of quality and transformation, Orlando Health and managing partner, Anesthesiologists of Greater Orlando. "Education about malignant hyperthermia is extremely important to both medical professionals and to the entire community." Orlando Regional Health Center, part of Orlando Health, is one of Florida's most comprehensive private, not-for-profit healthcare networks, and is based in Orlando, FL. Our facilities, advanced medical treatments and procedures, and highly qualified staff have distinguished Orlando Health as a healthcare leader for nearly two million Central Florida residents and 4,500 international visitors annually. Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) is an 808-bed hospital in downtown Orlando specializing in trauma, cardiovascular services, orthopedics, neurosciences, and internal medicine as well as minimally invasive bariatric surgery. ORMC is one of the state's six major teaching hospitals and Orlando Health's flagship medical center. ORMC is home to Central Florida's only Level One Trauma Center. Our leading edge technology and expertise allow us to provide comprehensive care to the most critically-ill or -injured patients throughout our community.

Florida Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (FLASPAN) President Terri Passig, BSN, RN, CCRN, CPAN : "I encourage everyone to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn about malignant hyperthermia. We all hope that an MH crisis won't happen to us but if it does we need to be prepared with the knowledge to provide our patients, and to deliver prompt life-saving interventions, and ensure appropriate follow up; whether you work in Pre-op, PACU, OR, ED, or ICU, knowledge of malignant hyperthermia may help you save a life some day!" FLASPAN provides education and promote the professional knowledge, competence, and growth of nurses working in all phases of perianesthesia care, thereby enhancing the care rendered to people undergoing anesthesia and/ or surgery in hospitals and ambulatory care settings, or any settings in which IV sedation is administered.

Florida Society of Anesthesiologists (FSA) President Charles J. Chase, D.O.: "Patient safety is a priority for The FSA and we are looking forward to having national experts in malignant hyperthermia affiliated with Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States share their experience with our community ". FSA is an educational, research and scientific association of physicians organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and improve the care of their patients.

What is Malignant Hyperthermia
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially fatal, inherited disorder usually associated with the administration of certain general anesthetics and/or the drug succinylcholine. The disorder is due to an acceleration of metabolism in skeletal muscle. The signs of MH include muscle rigidity, rapid heart rate, high body temperature, muscle breakdown and increased acid content. Immediate treatment with the drug dantrolene usually reverses the signs of MH. The underlying defect is abnormally increased levels of cell calcium in the skeletal muscle.

There is mounting evidence that some patients will also develop MH with exercise and/or on exposure to hot environments. Without proper and prompt treatment with dantrolene sodium, mortality is extremely high. The best way to protect yourself, your family, your patients and facility, is to be prepared before it's too late.

Source: Orlando Health