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. 2023 May;7(2):85-88.
doi: 10.5811/cpcem.1402.

Case Report of Malignant Hyperthermia in the Emergency Department

Mitchell McMurray  1 , Austin Sowers  1 , Raymond Orthober  1 , Martin Huecker  1
Affiliations

Case Report of Malignant Hyperthermia in the Emergency Department

Mitchell McMurray et al. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. 2023 May.

Abstract

Introduction: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare but deadly condition that may be encountered in the emergency department (ED). This report highlights a case of a patient who initially presented for acute agitation with hypertension and tachycardia and provides explanation for how to manage MH.

Case report: A 44-year-old male presented to the ED with altered mental status, eventually requiring intubation with etomidate and succinylcholine. Despite being afebrile initially, the patient developed a rectal temperature of 105.3° Fahrenheit (F) with significantly elevated arterial carbon dioxide levels after intubation. The treating team initiated cooling measures and dantrolene, leading to a positive outcome.

Conclusion: Clinicians should strive for expeditious recognition of MH and treatment with an updated institutional protocol.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the CPC-EM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none.

Figures

Figure
Figure
Diagnosing and treating suspected malignant hyperthermia in the emergency department MH, malignant hyperthermia; ICU, intensive care unit; ETCO2, end-tidal carbon dioxide; Fi02, fraction of inspired oxygen.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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