Malignant Hyperthermia Travel Award to San Diego, CA

Newswise — MHAUS announces availability of a $1,500 Travel Award to anesthesia resident/fellow or anesthesiologist who is within five years of ending his/her training to attend the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in San Diego CA.

The Daniel Massik Fund at The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies in Buffalo, NY was established by Mr. George Massik, a founding member of MHAUS, in memory of his son who died from MH.

The Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS) is pleased to announce the availability of the award to the author of a manuscript related to malignant hyperthermia (MH).

The Award will be given to the primary author of the best manuscript concerning, malignant hyperthermia. The format may be a case report, literature review or original study. The document should address a significant issue related to the problem of malignant hyperthermia. Those participating must currently be a resident fellow in anesthesiology or an anesthesiologist who is within five years of ending his/her training. The paper must be a minimum of 3 double-spaced typed pages and a maximum of 10 pages. Author’s CV should be included. The paper must not be in any stage of publication.

Deadline for receipt of the manuscript in the MHAUS office is August 3, 2010

The award will be presented at the annual MHAUS Recognition Reception held during the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in San Diego CA.

The winner will be notified by August 31, 2010 to allow for coordination of travel plans.

For further information regarding the application process for this award, please contact Gloria Artist at the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS), attention Gloria Artist, either by mail at P. O. Box 1069, Sherburne, NY 13460, or by fax at 607-674-7910, or by email at [email protected].

Malignant Hyperthermia is an inherited disorder of muscle which is "triggered" by commonly used volatile gaseous anesthesia and 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, greatly increased body metabolism, muscle rigidity and/or fever that may exceed 110 degree Fahrenheit; 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.

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are key to reducing morbidity and mortality related to MH. MH may occur at any time during an anesthetic whether in a ambulatory surgery center, a hospital, or an office-based surgery suite.

A large variety of programs have been developed by the scientific panel at MHAUS in order to increase awareness of the syndrome and its manifestations. These include a 24-hour telephone service staffed by MH experts to help medical professionals manage MH emergencies, the Emergency Therapy Protocol for MH poster, procedure manuals, training materials, conferences, awards and scholarships, exhibits at medical meetings, speakers bureau, and variety of publications, and patient safety supplies.

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.

Learn more at: http://www.mhaus.org