THORACIC AORTIC DISSECTION & MARFAN SYNDROME - NURSING CONTACT HOURS

Course overview

Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is the number one cause of death in individuals with Marfan syndrome. The purpose of this course is to increase awareness of the Marfan syndrome as a major risk factor for TAD. This program describes actual presentations of two patients with Marfan syndrome and TAD, in whom the diagnosis of thoracic aortic dissection was delayed or missed. Thoracic aortic dissection is one of the most dramatic and life-threatening conditions encountered in all of medicine. The failure to diagnose TAD remains a critical issue from a patient safety and medical error perspective.