Malignant hyperthermia as a cause for postoperative rhabdomyolysis.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Fiege.
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Administration of 5-HT2 receptor agonists induced malignant hyperthermia (MH) in susceptible pigs. Furthermore, the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ritanserin prevented 5-HT-induced porcine MH. It has been shown that 5-HT2 receptor agonists induce marked contractures in skeletal muscle specimens from MH susceptible (MHS) but not in specimens from normal patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ritanserin on halothane-induced contractures in muscle specimens from MHS patients. Twenty-five patients aged 8-56 years (29.5+/-13.6) classified as MHS by the in vitro contracture test (IVCT) with halothane and caffeine according to the protocol of the European MH Group participated in this study. Muscle specimens were pretreated with ritanserin 10 micromol/l (n= 14), 20 micromol/l (n=14) and 100 micromol/l (n=12) for 10 min and subsequently halothane was added incrementally (0.11-0.22-0.44 mmol/l) to the tissue bath as described in the European MH protocol. The results of the halothane contracture test were used as control. Following administration of halothane, muscle contractures reached a maximum of 16.9+/-4.2 mN. Ritanserin led to a significant inhibition of halothane-induced contractures in MHS muscles. Following pretreatment with ritanserin, halothane-induced contracture maximum was significantly smaller with 7.5+/-3.1 mN after 10 micromol/l ritanserin, 4.9+/-1.5 mN after 20 micromol/l ritanserin and 0.5+/- 0.2 mN after 100 micromol/l ritanserin than without pretreatment. Administration of ritanserin induced at all concentrations a decrease in muscle twitch height. Increase in muscle twitch following halothane was reduced in a concentration-dependent manner by ritanserin. The presented findings indicate that 5-HT might be involved in the mechanisms of halothane-induced MH in humans. Further studies have to determine the pathophysiological role of the 5-HT system in MH, and whether ritanserin could be an alternative for treatment or prevention of halothane-induced MH.
BACKGROUND: 4-Chloro-m-cresol (4-CmC) induces marked contractures in skeletal muscle specimens from individuals susceptible to malignant hyperthermia (MHS). In contrast, 4-CmC induces only small contractures in specimens from normal (MHN) patients. 4-CmC is a preservative within a large number of commercially available drug-preparations (e.g., insulin, heparin, succinylcholine), and it has been suggested that 4-CmC might trigger malignant hyperthermia. This study was designed to investigate the effects of 4-CmC in vivo and in vitro in the same animals. METHODS: After approval of the animal care committee, six Pietrain MHS and six control (MHN) swine were anesthetized with azaperone 4 mg/kg intramuscularly and metomidate 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally. After endotracheal intubation, lungs were mechanically ventilated (inspired oxygen fraction 0.3) and anesthesia was maintained with etomidate 2.5 mg x kg(-1) x h(-1) and fentanyl 50 microg x kg(-1) x h(-1). Animals were surgically prepared with arterial and central venous catheters for measurement of hemodynamic parameters and to obtain blood samples. Before exposure to 4-CmC in vivo, muscle specimens were excised for in vitro contracture tests with 4-CmC in concentrations of 75 and 200 microM. Subsequently, pigs were exposed to cumulative administration of 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 mg/kg 4-CmC intravenously. If an unequivocal episode of malignant hyperthermia occurred, as indicated by venous carbon dioxide concentration > or = 70 mmHg, pH < or = 7.25, and an increase of temperature > or = 2 degrees C, the animals were treated with dantrolene, 3.5 mg/kg. RESULTS: All MHS swine developed malignant hyperthermia after administration of 4-CmC in doses of 12 or 24 mg/kg. Venous carbon dioxide concentration significantly increased and pH significantly decreased. Temperature increased in all MHS animals more than 2 degrees C. Blood lactate concentrations and creatine kinase levels were significantly elevated. All MHS swine were treated successfully with dantrolene. In contrast, no MHN swine developed signs of malignant hyperthermia. After receiving 4-CmC in a concentration of 48 mg/kg, however, all MHN animals died by ventricular fibrillation. The in vitro experiments showed that both concentrations of 4-CmC produced significantly greater contractures in MHS than in MHN specimens. CONCLUSIONS: 4-CmC is in vivo a trigger of malignant hyperthermia in swine. However, the 4-CmC doses required for induction of malignant hyperthermia were between 12 and 24 mg/kg, which is about 150-fold higher than the 4-CmC concentrations within clinically used preparations.
PURPOSE: It has been suggested that malignant hyperthermia (MH) occurs more frequent in patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMD) than in patients without NMD when they are exposed to volatile anaesthetics and/or succinylcholine. However, whereas central core disease (CCD) and MH susceptibility (MHS) are closely associated, the relationship between MH and other NMD is still uncertain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the MH status of individuals with specific NMD with the in vitro contracture test (IVCT) and to ascertain the risk for MH in individuals with NMD. METHODS: After institutional approval and informed consent, 29 patients of 3-59 years of age (27.2 +/- 17.3) with clinical suspicion for NMD and MH were enrolled in this prospective study. After excision of a skeletal muscle sample from M. vastus lateralis, patients were first classified as MHS, MH-equivocal (MHE) and MH-normal (MHN) by the IVCT according to the European MH protocol. Additionally, small muscle samples were excised from each patient for histological, histochemical and morphometric examination. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were diagnosed by the IVCT as MHS and 9 as MHN. In 6 patients MH status was equivocal. In six patients CCD was diagnosed, in 14 individuals muscular dystrophies and in 5 patients myotonias. Two patients had unspecific myopathies and one patient a carnitine deficiency syndrome. One patient with Friedreich's ataxia was investigated because of a MH crisis and classified as MHE. All CCD patients and two of three individuals with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy were tested as MHS. CONCLUSION: In this study 69% of the NMD patients were diagnosed as susceptible to MH with the IVCT. These results suggest, that NMD patients bear a high risk for MH. On the other hand, it has been discussed that in vitro contracture testing is not specific in NMD patients because skeletal muscle specimens from these patients have an elevated in vitro sensitivity. However, regarding our results and from a clinical point of view, patients with NMD should be treated like MHS individuals, unless they have undergone IVCT and were classified as MH-normal.
PURPOSE: Inhibition of phosphodiesterase III (PDE-III) by enoximone elevates cyclic AMP (cAMP) content and intracellular calcium in human cardiac muscle. An involvement of cAMP in the pathogenesis of malignant hyperthermia (MH) has been suggested, because a higher basal content of cAMP was found in skeletal muscles from MH susceptible (MHS) than in normal (MHN) individuals and swine. In this study the in vitro effects of enoximone on skeletal muscles and the possibility to distinguish MHS from MHN patients were investigated. METHODS: Muscle biopsies from 37 patients with clinical suspicion for MH were obtained. The patients were first classified as MHS, MHE (equivocal result) or MHN by the caffeine halothane contracture tests according to the procedure of the European MH Group (EMHG). MHE-patients and patients with neuromuscular diseases were excluded from the study. Enoximone was added cumulatively every five minutes to surplus muscle specimens to obtain organ bath concentrations of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 mmol/l. The in vitro effects of enoximone on muscle contractures and twitch were measured. RESULTS: Twelve patients were classified as MHS and 21 as MHN by the EMHG criteria. Enoximone induced contractures in skeletal muscles from all patients. MHS muscles developed contractures at significantly lower bath concentrations of enoximone than MHN muscles. Contractures of MHS compared to MHN muscles were significantly larger at bath concentrations of 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.2 mmol/l enoximone. No overlap in maximum contractures was seen between MHS and MHN muscles at bath concentrations of 0.6 and 0.8 mmol/l enoximone. Muscle twitch increased in both groups after administration of enoximone. CONCLUSION: The PDE-III-inhibitor enoximone induces contracture development in skeletal muscles. These contractures were attained at lower concentrations and were larger in MHS compared to MHN muscles. In vitro diagnosis of MH by a contracture test with enoximone appears to be possible. Furthermore, regarding these results a trigger potency for MH by enoximone could not be proved, but the use of enoximone in MHS patients might be dangerous.
PURPOSE: The Clinical Grading Scale (CGS) was introduced to predict malignant hyperthermia (MH) susceptibility in adverse anaesthetic events. Because many of the clinical symptoms that occur during MH episodes are nonspecific, the CGS was designed as a tool to estimate the qualitative likelihood of MH. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of the CGS with the established in vitro contracture test (IVCT). METHODS: 92 patients with a personal history for MH were tested for MH susceptibility with the IVCT according to the protocol of the European MH Group. All patients were also evaluated with the CGS. Clinical indicators for the CGS are rigidity, muscle breakdown, respiratory acidosis, temperature increase and cardiac involvement. There are additional indicators in case of a family history for MH. For each indicator 3-15 points are added to build a raw score; this raw score corresponds to a MH rank in the CGS that describes the likelihood of MH in the suspected event. The higher the raw score rank, the higher the likelihood of MH and vice versa. RESULTS: From 92 patients, 32 (35%) were diagnosed as MH-susceptible (MHS) with the IVCT, 47 (51%) were MH-normal (MHN), and 13 (14%) were MH-equivocal (MHE). One patient with MH-rank 1 (MH almost never) in the CGS was diagnosed as MHS; on the other hand no patient with MH-rank 6 (MH almost certain) in the CGS was diagnosed as MHN. However, the majority of patients (72%) were assigned to ranks 3 and 4 (MH somewhat less than likely/MH somewhat greater than likely). The qualitative likelihood of MH could therefore not be clearly estimated. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the MH-rank of the CGS corresponds poorly with the results of the IVCT. In any case the evaluation of an MH suspicious event depends on the availability of data of that event. It is often difficult to obtain sufficient data, especially if the event occurred a long while ago. In these cases the MH rank may underestimate the likelihood of MH susceptibility. On the other hand, overestimation is also possible because some of the scoring indicators depend on the anaesthesiologist's judgement only. At present, the use of the CGS is neither validated nor clinically feasible. The CGS cannot replace IVCT.
PURPOSE: 4-chloro-m-cresol (4-CmC), commonly used as preservative, has been shown to induce contractures in skeletal muscle specimens from individuals susceptible to malignant hyperthermia (MH). It has been suggested that a defect of the calcium release channel of the skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (ryanodine receptor) in MH susceptible (MHS) patients could be responsible for this phenomenon. 4-CmC was found to be a potent activator of ryanodine receptor-mediated Ca2+ release. The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro effects of 4-CmC on muscle specimens from MHS and normal (MHN) patients, and whether contracture testing with different concentrations of 4-CmC could result in a more precise discrimination between MHS and MHN. METHODS: In this prospective study muscle biopsies were obtained from 40 patients with clinical suspicion of MH. The patients were first classified by the in vitro contracture test (IVCT) according to the European MH protocol. After MH classification, surplus muscle specimens were subjected to the 4-CmC study. RESULTS: Cumulative administration of 4-CmC (25, 50, 75, 100, 150, and 200 mumol/l) produced contractures in a concentration-dependent manner. However, contractures developed significantly earlier and were greater in MHS (n = 17) than in MHN specimens (n = 23). After bolus administration of 50, 75, and 100 mumol/l 14-CmC MHS specimens developed distinct muscle contractures. In contrast, in MHN specimens only 100 mumol/l 4-CmC produced contractures. All contracture levels following bolus administration of 100 mumol/l 4-CmC were attained significantly earlier in MHS than in MHN. There was no overlapping in the range of times between both groups. CONCLUSION: In vitro contracture testing with 4-CmC seems to be a specific method to distinguish between MHS and MHN patients. However, the question whether 4-CmC is an MH-triggering agent is not completely solved. 4-CmC is a preservative within a large number of commercially available preparations (e.g. insulin, hormones, etc.). Regarding the results of contracture testing with 4-CmC it has been suggested that 4-CmC possibly represents a high-risk agent for MHS individuals. To reduce the risk of MH in susceptible patients due to administration of chlorocresols, we recommend avoiding preparations containing the preservative 4-CmC.
BACKGROUND: Porcine malignant hyperthermia (MH) can be triggered by administration of certain serotonin2 receptor agonists. Pretreatment with dantrolene completely abolished serotonin-induced MH. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the serotonin2 receptor agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI) in skeletal muscle specimens from MH-susceptible (MHS) and MH-nonsusceptible (MHN) patients following pretreatment with dantrolene. METHOD: We used muscle specimens surplus to diagnostic requirements from 12 MHS and 13 MHN patients in this study. In the first experiment, DOI 0.02 mM was added to the organ bath. In the second experiment, muscle specimens were preincubated with dantrolene 0.5 microM or 1.0 microM, respectively, for 10 min before DOI 0.02 mM was administered. RESULTS: Administration of DOI 0.02 mM induced contractures in muscle specimens from MHS and MHN patients. Contracture development started significantly earlier in MHS than in MHN specimens. In MHS muscle the maximum contracture was significantly greater than in MHN. Pretreatment with dantrolene significantly delayed the start of contracture development in MHS muscles, whereas in MHN muscles no contractures were observed after dantrolene. The contracture maximum was significantly reduced in MHS. CONCLUSION: The acceleration of DOI-induced contracture development in skeletal muscle specimens from MHS patients indicates that an altered serotonin system might be involved in human MH. Dantrolene effectively delayed serotonin-induced contractures. Further investigations are needed to determine whether serotonin2 receptors of skeletal muscle from MHS subjects are altered in function or structure, or whether this response is a secondary phenomenon.