Readiness for malignant hyperthermia can be survey stumbling block

The inability of hospitals to meet expectations for responding to malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an occasional but persistent problem, recently released data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) show. From 2011 through 2015, inspection findings at eight hospitals and health systems revealed “deficiencies” related to MH preparedness, according to CMS. Most of the problems cited by inspectors involved having an inadequate supply of dantrolene or failing to train staff to obtain and administer the drug in time to avert a potentially deadly outcome in a patient with MH. I.V. dantrolene is the only FDA-approved drug indicated for the treatment of MH, a life-threatening rise in body temperature that can be triggered by exposure to succinylcholine or certain other drugs. In MH-susceptible patients, the condition results from a cascade of biochemical events that first affect skeletal muscles and can progress to cardiovascular collapse and death. The Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS), an advocacy and education group that provides evidence-based advice for preventing and managing MH, recommends that dantrolene be accessible within 10 minutes after a decision is made to treat a patient for MH.