Going global
In the beginning, we
only implemented
the MH protocol in
our 3 surgical servic-
es departments, but
as our own event
showed, MH isn't
confined to surgery.
A few years ago, we
went global with our
MH checklist and
carts. We have to be ready to respond to a MH crisis anywhere in the
hospital.
Since our facility is so large, we created a task force made up of rep-
resentatives of several departments to make sure everyone was on the
same page and aware of our MH protocol. The departments and peo-
ple you include on your task force will vary depending on your facili-
ty, but anesthesiology should lead the way and your OR champion
should be coordinating with the different departments to make sure
everyone has what they need and follows MHAUS-recommended
guidelines.
Our annual drills keep us ready to respond and let us see if there are
any areas that need improvement in our protocol. Anesthesia is in
charge of our drills and decides when they will take place. Generally
they occur around the first quarter and we hold them in the morning
during our in-service time. Anesthesia begins with a lecture on MH
and the metabolic processes that occur during an event. Then, I go
over our checklist and cart, and we get ready for our drill. Our
M a r c h 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 3
• REALISTIC MH DRILLS How will your staff respond when they're in the middle of
surgery and the patient begins developing signs of MH? Sounds like a good scenario
for a drill.
UNC
REX
Healthcare,
Jonathan
Rodriguez
