How long is dantrolene given?
Keeping this in view, how much is a vial of dantrolene?
We estimated that a vial of dantrolene costs $84. With a shelf-life of three years, this means that the annualized cost of stocking an MH cart with dantrolene is $1,008 ($84 per vial multiplied by 36 vials, divided by the shelf-life of three years).
One may also ask, what are the chances of recrudescence of MH after initial treatment with dantrolene?
Recrudescence of MH occurred in 20% of 308 patients examined. Half of the patients showed signs or symptoms of recrudescence within 9 h of the initial event (median time 8.7 h), and 80% did so within 16 h. Signs included muscle rigidity, evidence of increasing rhabdomyolysis, respiratory acidosis, and hyperthermia.
Dantrolene is the only currently accepted specific treatment for MH. In an episode of MH, muscle metabolism is dramatically increased secondary to an increase in calcium within the muscle. This causes muscles to contract, ATP hydrolysis, and heat production.