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S U R G I C A L
E M E R G E N C I E S
agents were used, a study published in the August 2004 issue of the
journal Anaesthesia & Intensive Care demonstrates that a briefer
post-op stay — an hour in PACU and 90 minutes in phase 2/stepdown — is a safe minimum.
Since malignant hyperthermia was first described in the 1960s, there
has been a dramatic improvement in our understanding of what causes MH, who is at risk and which practices can rescue patients from
the crisis. Malignant hyperthermia is potentially fatal, but if a risk is
identified and a surgical team is prepared, the likelihood of a bad outcome — while not zero at this time — can be quite low. OSM
Dr. Rosenberg (hrosenberg@sbhcs.com) is president and Ms. Daugherty
(dianne@mhaus.org) is executive director of the Malignant Hyperthermia
Association of the United States (MHAUS).
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