Unravelling the mystery of malignant hyperthermia

Abstract

Malignant hyperthermia was an unknown condition in 1960 although there had always been occasional patients who died mysteriously under anaesthesia. The nature of the disease became apparent when a young Melbourne man presented that year with a compound fracture and a family history of deaths under anaesthesia. He survived his anaesthetic due to the combined efforts of the anaesthetist and the surgeon. His family history was then investigated by the physicians. Over the next 20 years the cause of the disease was discovered and eventually a treatment was found. This article is based around a series of interviews with many of the participants in this story.