title: Malignant hyperthermia in the early days of pediatric anesthesia: an interview with anesthesiology pioneer, Dr. John F. Ryan.
abstract: Dr. John F. Ryan (1935 - ), Associate Professor of Anaesthesia at the Harvard Medical School, influenced the careers of hundreds of residents and fellows-in-training while instilling in them his core values of resilience, hard work, and integrity. His authoritative textbook, A Practice of Anesthesia for Infants and Children, remains as influential today as it did when first published decades ago. Although he had had many accomplishments, he identified his experiences caring for patients with malignant hyperthermia and characterizing the early discovery of this condition as his defining contribution to medicine. Based on a series of interviews with Dr. Ryan, this article reviews a remarkable career that coincides with the dawn of modern pediatric anesthetic practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6147-8804
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|Department of Anesthesia, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Paul G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, and Pediatrics, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Myron
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaster
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.|Anesthesia Associates of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Zulfiqar
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|Department of Anesthesia, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Mai
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000266:history*; D000776:Anesthesiology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008305:Malignant Hyperthermia / Q000266:history*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000266:history*
keywords: John Ryan; dantrolene; malignant hyperpyrexia; malignant hyperthermia; pediatric anesthesia; porcine stress syndrome