AbstractMalignant hyperthermia (MH) is a very rare but frequently fatal complication of anaesthesia. The identification of susceptible patients depends on a family history of anaesthetic difficulties, increased serum creatine kinase activity and the pharmacological assessment of a muscle biopsy. Dantrolene has been introduced recently as a specific therapeutic agent for MH. Detailed investigation of MH in pigs has drawn attention to the possible role of circulating catecholamines in initiating and potentiating the syndrome. Only certain breeds of pigs develop MH and these breeds are also susceptible to the occurrence of the porcine stress syndrome (PSS) and pale, soft, exudative pork (PSEP). There is increasing evidence that isolated cases of ‘awake MH’ can be triggered by excessive fatigue, emotional stress and high environmental temperatures. It is possible that in some MH‐susceptible families death may occur from ventricular arrhythmias in emotional stressful situations, possibly associated with an underlying cardiomyo