Boy, 6, Suddenly Gets 107-Degree Temperature, Dies; Was It Rare Condition?

Six-year-old Vincent Groetzner was enjoying one of his first days of summer vacation splashing in a wading pool in his Florida neighborhood when his legs began to hurt. Then he broke out in a heavy sweat and his heart began to race.Within hours, the young boy's vital organs had failed and he was pronounced dead despite his mother's fervent efforts to keep him alive.

Now, doctors are trying to determine whether the boy suffered from a rare hereditary disorder known as malignant hyperthermia that affects only about 1,000 people each year -- and his mother hopes finding out could help save Vincent's three siblings and other kids.

While most cases of the heredity disorder occur when a patient is undergoing surgery -- the condition is sparked by a reaction to general anesthesia -- Vincent was outside playing when he fell ill.

"Vincent's case is certainly unusual," said Dr. Henry Rosenberg, an anesthesiologist and president of the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States.