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HYPERPYREXIA following anaesthesia, and associated with an abnormal reaction to succinylcholine (Anectine| though rare, has been the subject of a number of reports recently. 1-4 The following case is reported to alert anaesthetists to a possible familial tendency to hyperthermia, and the simultaneous occurrence of an alteration in the coagulating mechanisms of the blood. A married woman of French-Canadian descent, aged 44, was anaesthetized on December 14, 1966, for excision biopsy of a mass in the left breast, followed by radical mastectomy. Preoperatively, her history, physical examination and laboratory tests (see Table I) indicated normal health. Prior to the induction of anaes-TABLE I ELECTROLYTE CHANGES IN A CASE OF HYPERTHERMIA

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NUMEROUS t'APErtS have been written on the effect of general anaesthesia and surgical procedures on one or more of the various aspects of metabolism, but none correlates many measurable variables in the same patients. Better understanding of the changes occurring in the body during and after operation should improve the safety of the operation. Improper oxygenation, acid-base imbalance, and abnormal potassium, calcium, and sodium concentrations have potent ill effects on the heart and body. Metabolism of non-esterified fatty acids (rCEFA) is the major source of energy in the faslSng state, and the production of ketone bodies reflects the carbohydrate deprivation of fasting. Lactate and pyruvate are also sources of energy as well as being indicators of anaerobic metabolism. Studies of myocardial and whole-body metabolism in patients undergoing open-heart surgery have delineated patterns of changes and indicated improvements in treatment. 1-3 The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in metabolites and electrolytes, on a whole-body basis, in a group of patients undergoing abdominal surgery, and to document their responses to anaesthesia and this type of surgery. Another aim of the study was to help to determine, in the previously studied patients having open-heart surgery, the proportion of the changes due to the cardiac lesion and the whole-body perfusion. MATErnAL AND METHODS