Malignant Hyperthermia (MH):
- people susceptible to MH appear very normal
- has incomplete penetrance
- has dominant inheritance
- but MH is the most common cause of death due to anesthesia
- triggering agents in common anesthetics that open the Ca2+ release channels
- high concentrations of Ca2+ causes muscle contraction
- prolonged contractions uses up ATP
- metabolism to replace ATP uses up oxygen, produces heat and CO2
- person under anesthetics have
- full body contractures
- rapid increase in body temperature (hyperthermia)
- high concentration of CO2 in exhalation marking suffocation (causing neural damage)
- if not recognized early, the patient could die
- within minutes from ventricular fibrillation
- within hours from pulmonary neurological damage
- within days from neurological damage or obstructive renal failure
- proper monitoring and response has brought the death rate from MH down from 80% to nearly 0% in some countries
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