Abstract
This article aims to discuss the importance of the identification and early management of the malignant hyperthermia (MH) crisis, as well as the need for genetic investigation, especially of families in which cases of the disease have already been reported. Malignant hyperthermia is an inherited genetic disorder triggered by the use of halogenated inhalational anesthetics and/or the depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent succinylcholine, used in general anesthesia. Technical-scientific knowledge and immediate action by the medical team during the MH crisis is essential, since the lower morbidity and mortality rate of patients is dependent on a quick crisis’ management. This work is a bibliographic review about the severity of the condition of MH with a focus on laboratory and clinical diagnosis for the identification of patients susceptible to MH and in the management of the crisis, in which the gold standard test for the confirmation of the disease is the muscle contraction in vitro with halothane-caffeine and the main treatment used to reverse the crisis is dantrolene.