island emt Posted June 2, 2012 Posted June 2, 2012 The only thing that stands a chance of saving him is a thoracic surgeon standing at the door to the OR and with a team ready to cut him open. His odds of surviving this are less a chance than kiwi getting into med school.
DFIB Posted June 4, 2012 Author Posted June 4, 2012 Well, a few of other interesting things about Marfan's. It is caused by a genetic defect in a gene called FBN-1, or fibrillin-1, which is responsible for helping build the elastic tissures of the body. People with Marfan's tend to have legs that are too long, arms that are too long, and long, bony fingers. They also suffer from cataracts, and they are prone to dysrhythmias, practically any and all of them. Patients with Marfan's have Flat Feet. And a high, arched palate and crowed teeth. Google Marfan's and click on images and you should find one of a mouth with the arched hard palate and pectus escavatum. Their joints are very flexible and they tend to get dislocations. Kids with Marfan's have troulble playing sports because of that. They also are prone to scoliosis of the back. and, of course, the big one, they are prone to thoracic aortic dissection. The problem now is it's a balancing act. You don't want the dissection to spread, but you also want to keep his brain perfused. so you want to maintain his CPP at 80 if you possibly can. Thank you everyone for participating. I had a blast! 1
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