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24-HOUR MH HOTLINE

800-644-9737

Outside NA: 001-209-417-3722
FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY

24-HOUR MH HOTLINE: 800-644-9737
Outside NA: 001-209-417-3722
FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY

What is MH / MHAUS?

What is MH?

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially fatal, inherited disorder usually associated with the administration of certain general anesthetics and/or the drug succinylcholine. The disorder is due to an acceleration of metabolism in skeletal muscle. The signs of MH include muscle rigidity, rapid heart rate, high body temperature, muscle breakdown and increased acid content. Immediate treatment with the drug dantrolene usually reverses the signs of MH. The underlying defect is abnormally increased levels of cell calcium in the skeletal muscle.

There is mounting evidence that some patients will also develop MH with exercise and/or on exposure to hot environments. Without proper and prompt treatment with dantrolene sodium, mortality is extremely high. The best way to protect yourself, your family, your patients and facility, is to be prepared before it's too late.

What is MHAUS?

Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization

The mission of MHAUS is to promote optimum care and scientific understanding of MH and related disorders.

MHAUS has four primary goals:

  1. Educate the entire spectrum of healthcare professionals so that MH is rapidly recognized and properly treated by persons in all of the medical disciplines.
  2. Advise and prepare all medical facilities in the United States for prompt diagnosis and immediate treatment of an MH episode.
  3. Help MH-susceptible patients and their families learn to live with MH susceptibility and share with them the experience and knowledge which has accumulated about MH.
  4. Encourage and support research in MH, especially a highly accurate noninvasive diagnostic test.

Thanks to the efforts of MHAUS and similar organizations around the world, the mortality rate has been markedly reduced. Also, these efforts have helped to identify forms of MH that were not previously recognized by the medical community. MHAUS continues to help advance this field.

see also

[Image: MHAUS logo]
The mission of MHAUS is to promote optimum care and
scientific understanding of MH and related disorders.
© 2024 Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States. All rights reserved. The claims and opinions expressed in sponsor advertising found on this website are those of the advertiser and not necessarily the views or opinions of MHAUS, its staff or its advertisers. As a matter of policy, MHAUS representatives and clinical experts will not give advice to patients concerning their individual clinical circumstances. The MHAUS corporation does not provide funds or other support directly or indirectly for administrative overhead to institutions.