Background and objectives: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a pharmacogenetic disease that causes abnormal hypermetabolic reaction to halogenated anesthetics and/or depolarizing muscle relaxants. In Brazil, there is a hotline telephone service for MH since 1991, available 24 hours a day in São Paulo. This article analyzes the activity of the Brazilian hotline service for MH in 2009. Methods: Prospective analysis of all phone calls made to the Brazilian hotline service for MH from January to December 2009. Results: Twenty-two phone calls were received: 21 from the South/Southeast region of Brazil and one from the North region. Fifteen calls were requests for general information about MH. Seven were about suspected MH acute episodes, two of which were not considered as MH. In fi ve episodes compatible with MH, all patients received halogenated volatile anesthetics (2, isofl urane; 3, sevofl urane) and one also used succinylcholine; there were four men and one woman, with a mean age of 18 years (2-27). The problems described in the fi ve MH episodes were tachycardia

The number of calls per year in the Brazilian hotline service for MH is still low. The characteristics of MH episode were similar to those reported in other countries. The knowledge of MH in Brazil needs to be increased.

Introduction: Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major threat in healthcare settings. The use of antimicrobials can influence the incidence of resistant strains by direct and indirect mechanisms. The latter can be addressed by ecological studies. Methods: Our group attempted to analyze the relation between the use of antipseudomonal drugs and the incidence of MDR-PA among 18 units from a 400-bed teaching hospital. The study had a retrospective, ecological design, comprising data from 2004 and 2005. Data on the use of four antimicrobials (amikacin, ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime and imipenem) were tested for correlation with the incidence of MDR-PA (defined as isolates resistant to the four antimicrobials of interest) in clinical cultures. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Significant correlations were determined between use and resistance for all antimicrobials in the univariate analysis: amikacin (standardized correlation coefficient = 0.73, p = 0.001); ciprofloxacin (0.71, p = 0.001); ceftazidime (0.61, p = 0.007) and imipenem (0.87, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, only imipenem (0.67, p = 0.01) was independently related to the incidence of multidrug-resistant strains. Conclusions: These findings share similarities with those reported in individual-based observational studies, with possible implications for infection control.

The number of calls per year in the Brazilian hotline service for MH is still low. The characteristics of MH episode were similar to those reported in other countries. The knowledge of MH in Brazil needs to be increased.

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