Use of Cardiopulmonary Bypass for Treatment of Malignant Hyperthermia

MALIGNANT HYPERTHERMIA (MH) is a well-described and known complication of modern anesthesia, with volatile anesthetics and succinylcholine recognized as triggering agents. Incidence rates vary, but it is estimated to occur in 1 in 50,000 to 100,000 individuals undergoing general anesthesia.1 The authors present a case of a patient undergoing a surgical mitral valve replacement who developed MH during separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), with urgent return to CPB as a method for the successful treatment of hyperkalemia, hyperthermia, acidemia, and hypercarbia. This suggests the potential for CPB or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a possible treatment for the symptoms of MH. Consent was obtained from the patient prior to submission of this case report.