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Abnormal halothane test

Less than 1 minute after turning on the halothane, the muscle starts to contract and reaches a maximum of greater than 5 g in less than 2 minutes. Although not present in this example, the twitch height may increase with halothane, but this does not distinguish between normal and abnormal. The muscle will decrease its contracture even though the anesthetic is continued. The caffeine test is performed similarly, although when the baseline is stable, caffeine is added to the bath in order to produce progressively higher concentrations. (Contributed by Dr. Jordan Miller.)

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Associated Disorders

  • Central core disease
  • Duchenne muscular dystrophy
  • Hypokalemic periodic paralysis
  • King-Denborough syndrome
  • Multi-minicore disease
  • Myoglobinuria
  • Neuroleptic malignant syndrome