Delayed recovery of muscle pH after short duration, high intensity exercise in malignant hyperthermia susceptible subjects

Abstract

Six subjects susceptible to malignant hyperthermia (MHS) and seven control subjects exercised for 4 min at 120% of their calculated maximal oxygen uptake on a bicycle ergometer. Mean (SEM) muscle pH, measured with a needle-tipped electrode in the vastus lateralis muscle, decreased from a resting value of 7.16 (0.04) to 6.78 (0.04) after exercise in the control group, and from 7.15 (0.05) to 6.56 (0.05) in the MHS group (P < 0.01 compared with control group). A further decrease in muscle pH to 6.68 (0.06) by 5 min after exercise occurred in the control group, followed by incomplete recovery to 7.06 (0.04) 30 min after exercise. In the MHS group, however, muscle pH decreased to 6.45 (0.05) 5 min after exercise before recovering slowly to only 6.64 (0.07) after 30 min (P < 0.01 compared with control group). There was no difference in muscle temperature, venous pH or venous lactate concentrations between the two groups. The results show that there is abnormal recovery of muscle pH after short-duration, high-intensity exercise in MHS subjects. © 1991 Copyright: 1991 British Journal of Anaesthesia.