Heat stroke

Dantrolene

Dantrolene is a skeletal muscle relaxant that inhibits calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. It has previously been used in patients with malignant hyperthermia and neuroleptic malignant syndrome as it reduces the heat produced in skeletal muscle during abnormal sustained contraction.[45]Bouchama A, Cafege A, Devol EB, et al. Ineffectiveness of dantrolene sodium in the treatment of heatstroke. Crit Care Med. 1991 Feb;19(2):176-80. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1989755?tool=bestpractice.com Dantrolene has previously been studied in small trials in patients with heat stroke, and is now receiving renewed interest as an adjuvant to current treatment modalities.[33]Bouchama A, Dehbi M, Chaves-Carballo E. Cooling and hemodynamic management in heatstroke: practical recommendations. Crit Care. 2007;11(3):R54. https://ccforum.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/cc5910 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17498312?tool=bestpractice.com [45]Bouchama A, Cafege A, Devol EB, et al. Ineffectiveness of dantrolene sodium in the treatment of heatstroke. Crit Care Med. 1991 Feb;19(2):176-80. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1989755?tool=bestpractice.com However, there is currently no evidence to support its effectiveness for heatstroke.[2]Epstein Y, Yanovich R. Heatstroke. N Engl J Med. 2019 Jun 20;380(25):2449-59. https://www.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1810762 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31216400?tool=bestpractice.com