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because the surgical team reacted calmly and with purpose. They recognized
the warning signs of MH and initiated the response protocol, including adminis-
tration of dantrolene, without delay.
This article isn't about how to react to MH emergencies. You've probably run
through your facility's response protocol countless times. It's about taking those
drills seriously. It's about walking into every surgery expecting the worse, so
you're always prepared and alert for signs and symptoms of MH, and ready to
enact the response protocols that are hopefully second nature.
Is this really happening?
The surgical liaison called my name an hour after the procedure began. I remember
thinking that they called me much sooner than before, that the procedure must
have gone smoother than anticipated. I waited in a consult room, and one of the sur-
gical nurses who I had worked with for many years entered and took my hand.
What the heck is going on?
"Kim, Jake had what we think was an MH reaction," she said. "He's fine, he's
stable and it's all under control." I was in disbelief. I knew what MH was and
how rare it is. Wait. What? Oh my god, oh my god. That's all I could manage to
say.
The nurse was very reassuring. She told me that Jake's temperature was
back down, that his heart rate was slowing again. The surgeon came in to let
me know Jake was doing well, but that they'd be transferring him to the inten-
sive care unit at the local hospital.
I wanted to see him before he was transferred, so they led me back to the
recovery room. It was very difficult to see my son still unconscious and intu-
bated with EMTs, physicians and nurses milling around his bed. They told me I
could let him know I was there, even though he was still sedated with a propo-
fol drip. It was frightening. Even today, the emotions of that moment flood
back.
Two anesthesiologists rode in the ambulance to the hospital with Jake. One
