title: Anesthesia-induced rhabdomyolysis or malignant hyperthermia: is defining the crisis important?
abstract: Anesthesia-induced rhabdomyolysis and malignant hyperthermia occur in response to the same agents and present with similar clinical features. Distinguishing between these diagnoses can be challenging in a clinical crisis yet making the distinction is critical as prompt appropriate management may be life-saving, whereas delayed recognition and/or inappropriate management will almost certainly result in death. This focused review examines the differences between these conditions and focuses on the emergency management of anesthesia-induced rhabdomyolysis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Paediatric Anaesthesia, Department of Anaesthesia and PeriOperative Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4704-3705
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008305:Malignant Hyperthermia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012206:Rhabdomyolysis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: adverse events (complications); complications (PACU); general anesthesia; muscle disorders