Malignant Hyperthermia From Surgery? | Korean Facial Bone Surgery

Death During Facial Bone Surgery?

Not too long ago, news of a patient's death during facial contouring surgery was spreading around in South Korea. News like this can induce fear and can cause people to lose trust in clinics. However, the cause of death was not due to crucial arteries being punctured, loss of blood, or ghost surgeons. It was due to malignant hyperthermia.

What is Malignant Hyperthermia?

 

Malignant Hyperthermia (MH) is when the body experiences a life-threatening reaction from the drugs contained in anesthesia. It is a genetic syndrome that has the potential to be passed on to children. Symptoms of malignant hyperthermia include rapidly rising body temperature, severe muscle spasms or stiffness, spontaneous breathing, and even death. Malignant Hyperthermia can be difficult to predict as it is very rare. A patient may discover that they have it after undergoing anesthesia and experiencing a reaction. That is why it is very important for medical staff to have knowledge on how to prevent symptoms of malignant hyperthermia from getting worse and treating it. 

How Can Malignant Hyperthermia Be Treated? 

There are two ways to treat it

1. Using drugs/medication: Dantrolene

2. Physically lowering the body temperature: Cold compressions

Anesthesia must be cut off immediately so that medical staff can administer the patient with a dantrolene solution through a syringe. At least 60mg of dantrolene must be given to treat malignant hyperthermia. 

In order to stabilize the rising body temperature, cold compressions and cold fluids can be given to the patient. This helps the body cool down and keeps the blood circulation in check

More About Dantrolene

Dantrolene comes in a powdered form and must be mixed with sterile water and into a syringe for single use. Though the treatment for malignant hyperthermia sounds simple, obtaining dantrolene is not easy. Dantrolene is difficult to obtain since it is expensive, has a short shelf life, and is an orphan drug. Due to malignant hyperthermia being very rare, it can be difficult to constantly replace dantrolene after its expiration date. Most university hospitals in Korea carry about 2~3 vials of dantrolene. 

Here at EU Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, we have 3 vials of dantrolene available. Facial bone surgery requires patients to undergo general anesthesia. In hopes to make patients feel at ease and for their safety, EU has dantrolene prepared. As some people may live without knowing they are susceptible to malignant hyperthermia, our clinic strives to prevent those emergencies from happening. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

[WATCH: Dr. Kim Explains Malignant Hyperthermia]

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