For anesthesia-induced malignant hyperthermia, what treatment is administered?

Malignant hyperthermia is a life-threatening condition typically triggered by exposure to certain anesthetics, particularly volatile anesthetics and succinylcholine. It is characterized by a hypermetabolic response of skeletal muscle, leading to symptoms such as rapid rise in body temperature, muscle rigidity, tachycardia, and hypercapnia.

Dantrolene is specifically indicated for the treatment of malignant hyperthermia as it works directly on skeletal muscle to reduce calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, thus ameliorating the excessive muscular contraction and metabolic activity associated with this condition. By inhibiting this calcium release, dantrolene effectively lowers muscle metabolism and heat production, providing critical intervention to stabilize the patient.

Other options, such as heparin, erythromycin, and chloroquine, do not have any role in the management of malignant hyperthermia and are unlikely to address the underlying pathophysiological changes that occur during this crisis. In fact, heparin primarily acts as an anticoagulant, erythromycin is an antibiotic, and chloroquine is an antimalarial medication, none of which target the calcium dysregulation in skeletal muscle that is central to the pathology of malignant hyperthermia. Therefore, dantrol