When the anesthesia care provider yells the code "Malignant Hyperthermia!" during a routine surgery there are approximately 15 minutes to save this patient's life, you are excited but not panicking--- why?
The Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS) introduces a new MH Mock Drill Training Kit for Operating Room Staff to better prepare for MH emergencies---
"The mock drill kit added the realism that was so desperately needed to our in-service. Following the drill, several nurses that had participated said that they loved it and the drill felt so real that they were shaking," says Christine a Registered Nurse and Post Anesthesia Care Unit Educator.
The Kit includes a video of a mock drill and uses task cards to detail how to set-up and prepare for a drill and identifies who the participants are and their responsibilities, answers frequently asked questions, and helpful points on how to conduct a good drill.
The MH Mock Drill Kit is available from MHAUS online at: http://www.mhaus.org or by calling: 800-986-4271.
Malignant Hyperthermia is reaction to commonly used volatile gaseous anesthesia which can result in death in minutes, unless the patient receives rapid emergency therapy from medical professionals trained to recognize and treat MH quickly.
A patient's response to anesthesia includes: a rise in heart rate, a greatly increased body metabolism, muscle rigidity and/or fever that may exceed 11O degree Fahrenheit; and complications can include cardiac arrest, brain damage, internal bleeding and other body system failure. Without emergency therapy for MH the patient has a greater than 85% chance of death.
MH is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder, so if your mother or father has it, you have a 50:50 chance of inheriting it.
MH tragedies have devastated families, medical professionals' careers, and medical facilities alike, but it does not have to--- MH emergencies are manageable 95% of the time.
The mission of MHAUS is to promote optimum care and scientific understanding of MH and related disorders.
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