Porcine malignant hyperthermia: role of skeletal muscle in increased oxygen consumption

During malignant hyperthermia (MH) induced by halothane and succinylcholine, oxygen consumption (VO2) of whole body, muscle and the splanchnic area was calculated from measurements of blood flow and arteriovenous oxygen content difference. Caudal body blood flow was isolated and measured (six animals) for determination of average muscle VO2 in the hind limbs, buttocks, and flanks. The increase in muscle VO2 was extrapolated to total skeletal muscle and compared with the increase in whole body VO2 (same six animals). The average increase in VO2 for both total muscle and whole body during the period of maximum increase was about 6 ml O2/min/kg body weight. Splanchnic VO2 (four animals) tended to decrease during MH. The data support the hypothesis that the metabolic changes in MH are due to a disorder of skeletal muscle and that the increase in whole body VO2 is due to the increase in muscle VO2.