How Well Prepared Are Operating Room & PACU Teams for an MH
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Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the Volume 27 Number 4 United States and the North American Fall 2009 Malignant Hyperthermia Registry of MHAUS by Henry Rosenberg, MD MHAUS President How Well Prepared Are Operating Room & PACU Teams For An MH Crisis? There is no doubt that over the past 30 Mortality From MH As A Measure years MH has gone from a virtually un- Of Preparedness known, highly fatal problem to one that One of the goals of MHAUS has been to not is well described in every textbook of an- only provide information about MH to health esthesia, surgery, medicine, and nursing. care professionals and the public but also to Reference to MH can be found, even if it’s assist the anesthesia and nursing communi- just in passing, in the curriculum of most ties to be prepared to act promptly and effec- training programs for health care profes- tively when a crisis arises. We have gener- sionals dealing with surgical patients. Since ally measured success in the management MH is not an extremely common problem, of MH based on declining mortality from MH. it is not surprising that the average physi- However, we realize that we are not aware cian or nurse would not know a great deal of all cases of MH. In some situations we about the intricacies of the syndrome, such might not be called when a patient dies from as its clinical manifestations, the underly- MH because there is an aversion to publiciz- ing pathologic changes and subtleties of ing a bad outcome. treatment. But everyone who has A study published in the very respect- studied some aspect of medicine able journal, Anesthesia and Analgesia, or nursing will be able to know found that the mortality from MH is closer where to find more information to 12% overall based on national data. The about the syndrome and also mortality ranges from 5% when the syn- to understand at the least that it drome occurs in a hospital to 20% when the may be fatal if not identified patient with MH has to be transferred into a and treated with dantrolene hospital. (1) This statistic causes concern, promptly. We would expect but again we questioned whether all those that anesthesia provid- cases called MH were really MH, or just ers and surgeons know a cases of high fever after surgery. Hard to good deal about MH and know since the individual case data are not particularly the steps in presented. treating the syndrome. As part of an epidemiologic study Recent studies provide some disturbing information about MH preparedness. continued on page 3 The Communicator is published four times each year by the Malignant Hyper- thermia Association of the United States (MHAUS) and is made possible by a generous grant from JHP Pharmaceuti- cals, manufacturers of Dantrium®. The Communicator is intended to serve the Notice Something Different In This information needs of MH-susceptible families, health care professionals, and others with an interest Issue Of The Communicator? in MH. EDITOR Well, you should. We have and scientific understanding of MH Brian Kamsoke completely redesigned the front page and related disorders. (The Cana- Editorial Advisory Panel of The Communicator. The new de- dian Malignant Hyperthermia Asso- Scott Schulman, M.D. sign, we believe, is much more styl- ciation closed its doors a few years Henry Rosenberg, M.D., CPE Barbara Brandom, M.D. ish and modern, and incorporates the ago). Cynthia Wong, M.D. “Faces of MH” (the father and son There are, of course, other Lena Sun, M.D. Ronald J. Ziegler image) which is also found on the organizations at work around the Sharon Dirksen, PhD MHAUS exhibit booth that we display globe, most notably the European FOR MHAUS at various meetings, as well as our Malignant Hyperthermia Group Henry Rosenberg, M.D., CPE President website and informational literature. (EMHG). MHAUS works with EMHG Our thanks to Michael J. and other groups, and communi- Ronald J. Ziegler Vice President Barker, President of Integrated cates with medical professionals Marketing Services, Inc., for the new around the world, from South Ameri- Sheila Muldoon, M.D. Vice President, Scientific Development look. ca to Southeast Asia. (MHAUS/NMSIS/Registry) This is the 27th year in which The Communicator remains Stanley Caroff, M.D. we’ve published The Communicator a vital component for distributing Vice President – Director of NMSIS newsletter. The Communicator is information; think of it as the hub of Steven V. Napolitano, Esq. aptly named; it is a primary source a wheel, with the spokes its informa- Secretary of information to medical profession- tion and resources distributed; in its Joseph R. Tobin, M.D. als and MH-susceptibles and their tracks it leaves heightened aware- Treasurer families. But it is not the only source ness and a better understanding of Dianne Daugherty Executive Director of information. MH. MHAUS manages a website Gloria Artist Hotline Coordinator www.mhaus.org and publishes and – The Editor distributes a multitude of informa- Sharon Dirksen, PhD Scientific Officer tional material: podcasts, brochures, pamphlets, videos, and poster. Much Correction Notice Fay Kellogg The article “Calsequestrin1 Fulfillment Administrator of this informational material can be accessed free-of-charge online, and (CASQ1): A New Gene For MH?” Nicole Viera in the summer 2009 issue of The Database Administrator other items, such as the In-Service Communicator (Vol. 27, No. 3, pg Michael Wesolowski Kit, can be purchased for a nominal Public Relations/Project Coordinator fee. 6) should have contained the name of the author Sharon Dirksen, PhD, Malignant Hyperthermia (MH) is an MHAUS is the only organiza- inherited muscle disorder which, when tion in the country (indeed, the only MHAUS Scientific Officer. We triggered by potent inhalation anesthet- apologize for the omission. ics and succinylcholine, may cause a organization in North America) whose life-threatening crisis. The incidence of MH is low, but, if untreated, the mortality mission is to promote optimum care rate is high. Since the advent of the an- tidote drug, dantrolene sodium, and with greater awareness of the syndrome, the mortality rate has decreased. Great ad- vances in our understanding of MH have The mission of MHAUS is to promote optimum care and been made since it was first recognized in the early 1960s, but the nature of the fundamental defect(s) is still unknown. scientific understanding of MH and related disorders. MHAUS advocates that all surgical patients undergoing general anesthesia should receive continuous temperature For more information or for materials on malignant hy- monitoring, that adequate supplies of dantrolene be stocked near the OR perthermia or MHAUS’ programs, call 607-674-7901; write and that thorough family histories be obtained. MHAUS, PO Box 1069, Sherburne, NY 13460; or visit us Copyright 2009 by MHAUS on the Internet at www.mhaus.org. 3 Continued from page 1 the emergency situations were part, because one of the ambula- quite good, but not for MH! Less tory center accrediting agencies than 20% of those handling the require such a drill every year. based on data from the state of crisis performed the key actions But we also know that others do NY from 2001-2005, a higher required to identify and treat MH not know how to develop such than expected mortality (about as opposed to a much higher a drill. Such questions as how 20%) was also identified in cer- percentage for all the other situa- many people need to be involved, tain situations. (2) This data will tions. (3) where does one get expired dan- soon be published in Anesthesia trolene to practice mixing the stuff, and Analgesia. My coauthors MHAUS’ Efforts In Simulation- how does one score the success on the study, Dr. Lena Sun, Dr. Based Education & Training of the drill, does a site require a Guohua Li and Ms. Joanne Brady A word is in order about the use manikin to carry out the drill or is of Columbia University and I will of simulation in training health there an alternative? soon be embarking on an in depth care professionals. Full scale Creation of a program to study of the specific cases that high fidelity manikins that may be assist hospital ORs, ambulatory were labeled MH in order to be programmed to respond to drugs centers and other places where sure that they really were MH and or situations with such physi- MH trigger agents are in use, in not a syndrome resembling MH. ologic responses as blood pres- developing a drill is tops on the sure, heart rate, respiration, even MHAUS project list. Our staff, con- Use Of Simulation Technol- muscle tone, and bleeding have sultants and other volunteers are ogy To Test Preparedness For rapidly become an important part committed to having a guideline Emergencies of training students and health for setting up and carrying out an These studies call into question care professionals. Such simula- MH drill in place soon. our comfort level that MH is recog- tion has been around for a while, So the answer to the ques- nized and treated appropriately in but it has reached the “tipping tion in the headline is that some greater than 95% of cases. Now point”, whereby it will soon be centers are very well prepared, another study looking at MH from a requirement that trainees and but there is still a need for im- an entirely different viewpoint, even experienced clinicians dem- provement. demonstrates that indeed when onstrate their abilities in a simula- faced with a crisis many anesthe- tion center. References: sia providers become confused In the future, we intend for (1) Rosero EB, Adesanyo AO and overwhelmed and do not MHAUS to assist in the develop- et al.