New In-Service Kit Available for Malignant Hyperthermia Response

March 22, 2006 (Sherburne, NY) – Coinciding with its 25th anniversary, the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS), announces the availability of a new, stimulating way to prepare your OR for a malignant hyperthermia (MH) episode. MHAUS (www.mhaus.org) has produced a comprehensive In-service Kit, offering various tools to prepare the OR and PACU staff to recognize, treat, manage, and counsel patients and their families who are subject to this disorder.

MH is an inherited metabolic disorder of muscle, triggered by certain general (gas) anesthetics. If not recognized early enough, death may occur.

“The new In-Service Kit will be an MH recognition tool and corresponding plan of action," says Henry Rosenberg, MD, the President of MHAUS. "It offers medical professionals a thorough review in a convenient package.”

The 2006 version includes an entertaining 26-minute video in DVD or VHS format, a mock drill and new information on dantrolene mixing, patient safety, and risk management, and the latest information on the molecular genetic basis for the disorder.

An information booklet with a quiz rounds out the kit, offering 1 CEU for nurses and 1 CME for physicians. The test and Certificate of Completion will soon be accessible at www.mhaus.org.

For more information please visit www.mhaus.org or call MHAUS at 607-674-7901.

About MHAUS

For the past 25 years, MHAUS, a not-for-profit organization, has been fulfilling its mission of eliminating death and disability from MH and similar disorders. The organization provides information and education in multiple formats either free or at a low cost. MHAUS has contributed to the understanding of this complex disorder through extensive data collection and support of scientific research.

Further information on the MH hotline, print, and internet-based education is available at www.mhaus.org or by calling 607-674-7901.

Contact: Al Rothstein, MHAUS, (866) 636-3342, [email protected]