If you are exceptionally tall and your hand span-measured by spreading both the arms wide apart-is more than half of your total height you should get checked as chances of a genetic disorder called Marfan’s syndrome is significantly higher in people with the above mentioned traits.
A similar case was encountered by the doctors of Kailash Hospital here when 27-year- old Qadir (name changed), a resident of Muzaffarnagar (UP), was admitted on complaint of breathlessness on minimal activity.
The Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgeon of the hospital, Dr Akhilesh Pandey said that CT –Angiography had revealed that the ascending aorta had swelled many-folds. “The patient was subjected to Bentall’s operation which involved replacing the ascending aorta and aortic valve through open heart surgery. During the surgery, the heart beat of the patient was stopped for 140 minutes,’’ he said.
Dr Pandey further said that five days following the surgery, the patient is now ready to be sent home. He said that the patient is suffering from Marfan’s syndrome which is a genetic disorder. “Such patients develop weakness in the wall of aorta and aortic valve malfunction causing aneurysm and dissection.
Our team performed four such operations in the past but this was the first case of Marfan’s syndrome,’’ Dr Pandey added.
