Plastic Surgery and Malignant Hyperthermia

At the recent American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery meeting, board certified plastic surgeons gathered to discuss malignant hyperthermia, a very rare but life threatening disorder that took the life of a teen breast surgery patient in March 2008. This condition is spurred on when certain anesthesia are given to people that may have one of 80 genetic defects that are associated with malignant hyperthermia.

The death of the teen breast surgery reinforces the idea that plastic surgery patients need to understand that plastic surgery is real surgery. It is important for individuals interested in plastic surgery to disclose all health information to plastic surgeons before undergoing any type of plastic surgery procedure.

People with malignant hyperthermia may experience an uncontrollable increase in muscle skeletal metabolism that increases calcium and activates muscle contraction within eight hours of receiving anesthesia. This contributes to high levels of potassium being released into the bloodstream and muscle cell death. Malignant hyperthermia may result in heart failure, brain damage due to heart failure, and/or organ damage.

Individuals susceptible to malignant hyperthermia may not have had a malignant hyperthermia experience in the past. Those most susceptible to malignant hyperthermia may have the following characteristics:

• heat stroke or over heating during exercise
• dark urine, signifying muscle breakdown
• high fevers
• inherited muscle disorders
• unexplained death of family members during or immediately after anesthesia.

Treatment for Malignant Hyperthermia
At the onset of a malignant hyperthermia experience, patients can be treated with intravenous dantrolene sodium. Dantrolene sodium reduces the release of calcium and impedes muscle interaction. Though there is no guarantee that treatment will succeed in preventing a malignant hyperthermia emergency, at least there is a medical intervention option available should this occur to a patient.

The following types of anesthesia have been linked to malignant hyperthermia:

sevoflurane desflurane
isoflurane enflurane
halothane methoxyflurane
trichloromethane methyltrichloride
trichloroethylene succinylcholine

To learn more about malignant hyperthermia call 1-800-MH-HYPER

Have you or someone you know been considering a breast augmentation? If so, please contact a board certified surgeon to be better informed of your options.