Preanesthetic evaluation and management of malignant hyperthermia in the pig experimental model

Fifty-three swine from the University of Missouri Sinclair Medical Research Farm were used in experimentation to determine their susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia, to determine appropriate anesthetic agents for susceptible swine and to investigate appropriate pharmaceutical agents which could protect against the development of malignant hyperthermia. The screening technics used were successful in determining susceptible animals to MH and the anesthesia studies indicated that dissociative anesthetics had less tendency to trigger MH than did halothane and pancuronium was shown to have greater safety as a muscle relaxant than succinylcholine in this group of pigs. Pigs pretreated with reserpine had less tendency to develop symptoms of MH and some were completely protected. The principle undesirable effect was the development of hypotension if sufficient reserpine was used to provide total protection.