Creation and Implementation of a Preoperative Malignant Hyperthermia Screening Tool
Tirzah Johnson1, Virginia C Simmons, Sharon Figer Schwartz
1Anesthesiology Department, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Fayetteville, North Carolina (Dr Johnson); Nurse Anesthesia Program, Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina (Drs Simmons and Tola); and Anesthesiology Department, Duke Regional Hospital, Durham, North Carolina (Ms Figer Schwartz).
Background:
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially lethal pharmacogenetic disorder triggered by certain anesthetic agents. There is currently no standardized preoperative screening tool utilized to identify MH-susceptible individuals.
Local Problem:
This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to enhance preoperative screening for MH susceptibility (MHS) by implementing an evidence-based screening tool for surgical patients at 2 sites.
Methods:
This prospective descriptive QI project evaluated the success of implementing an MHS screening tool preoperatively and its impact on the anesthesia plan.
Interventions:
Anesthesia professionals included the screening tool in their preoperative interview for surgical patients so that positively screened patients could receive MH prevention measures.
Results:
A total of 95 patients at site A and 234 patients at site B were screened using the MH tool, a cumulative total of 21 patients were positively screened, and 1 anesthetic plan was altered.
Conclusions:
This MHS screening tool has the potential to prevent MH episodes when used consistently by staff.
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