Hyperpyrexia associated with succinylcholine-induced muscle rigidity: A case report

Abstract

A 51~-YEAB-OLD BOY was admitted to the Montreal Children's Hospital for elective adeno-tonsillectomy on November 15, 1965. His parents were healthy, as were three older children. The patient had weighed 2.04 kg. at birth and had been admitted to hospital at 22~ weeks for staphylococcal septicemia, and again at 6 months for bronchopneumonia. His subsequent development had been slow-he had sat at 1~ years, walked at 2 years, and had delayed tooth eruption. At 2~ years he had suffered a slight head injury leading to headaches. He had received aspirin and antibiotics without drug reaction. He was first seen at the Montreal Children's Hospital at age 5 for squint, for which glasses were prescribed. A little later he was seen for nervousness, enuresis, and retarded growth. His condition was then categorized as "failure-to-thrive," and chronic

Hyperpyrexia During Anaesthesia

“…Pari passu a gross metabolic and respiratory acidosis was evident. Whereas the limbs of the normal anaesthetized pig are relaxed during anaesthesia-even light anaesthesia-the limbs of the hyperpyrexial pigs were stiffly extended, the muscles in extreme spasm in a way similar to that described by Hall et al (1966) in their pigs and by the Canadian workers (Cullen, 1966 ;Davies and Graves, 1966;Hogg and Renwick, 1966;Lavoie, 1966;Relton et al, 1966;Thut and Davenport, 1966;Purkis et al, 1967) in the hyperpyrexial humans following the suxamethonium they postulated as being responsible for this condition. We did not observe any marked change in pulmonary compliance.…”

“…The baffling and frightening complication of malignant hyperpyrexia occurring during anaesthesia has been described in humans by many authors (Cullen, 1966 ;Davies and Graves, 1966;Hogg, and Renwick, 1966;Lavoie, 1966;Relton et al., 1966;Thut and Davenport, 1966;Purkis et al, 1967) and in anaesthetized pigs by Hall et al (1966). Most of these workers attribute this unpredictable, lethal, and puzzling reaction to suxamethonium, genetically determined.…”

Fulminating Hyperpyrexia during Anaesthesia in a Member of a Myopathic Family

“…Until the aetiology of acute sprue is clarified it is perhaps unjustifiable to claim that sojourn in a known endemic area is a prerequisite for the diagnosis. , 1970, 2, 341-343 Rapidly rising body temperature resistant to treatment and usually ending fatally has been described on several occasions during the course of surgical anaesthesia (Saidman et al, 1964;Thut and Davenport, 1966;Stephen, 1967;Wilson et al, 1967;British Medical 7ournal, 1968;Hawthorne et al, 1968). It has been called fulminating hyperpyrexia.…”

Fulminating Hyperthermia and General Anaesthesia

“…A number of such occurrences have been published, mainly in Canada (Saidman et al, 1964;Cullen, 1966;Davies and Graves, 1966;Hogg and Renwick, 1966; Lavoie, 1966;Relton et al, 1966 ;Thut and Davenport, 1966;Purkis et al, 1967;Stephen, 1967), but we know of only one other comparable case so far recorded in the British Isles (Brown, 1954).…”