2 8 S U P P L E M E N T T O
4. What are the
early warning
signs?
Countless
lives have been saved
when astute providers
recognized the signs of
trouble — muscle rigidi-
ty, flushed skin, rising
end-tidal CO
2
, abnormal
heart rhythm, rapid
breathing and rising
core body temperature.
A rise in core body
temperature was
assumed to be a late-
stage indicator, but
recent data show it
might in fact be one of
the immediate present-
ing signs. Professional
organizations strongly
recommend that you
monitor core body tem-
peratures during any
procedure involving trig-
gering agents that's
expected to last longer
than 10 minutes.
Build your patient
safety toolkit.
Patient safety depends on a
healthcare team that knows how to
assess for risk and the best practices
to ensure quality care. AAAHC
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programs, specialty certification and
resource tools.
The AAAHC Patient Safety
Toolkit series includes a variety
of topics, including:
Q
Antibiotic Stewardship
Q
Safe Injection Practices
Q
Emergency Drills
See the complete list and order toolkits
at www.aaahc.org/institute and
email marketing@aaahc.org to request
your FREE poster: How to
run a Malignant Hyperthermia drill.
