Eclectic anesthesiologist - acute aortic dissection type B in Marfan syndrome complicating end-stage pregnancy

Abstract

Pregnancy in women with Marfan syndrome (MFS) is linked to approximately a 4.4% risk of acute aortic dissection (AAD). The natural history of pregnancy and the ability to deliver a viable fetus depends on the interaction between the pace of changes in the cardiovascular system and the advancement of pregnancy. We report the management of a type B acute aortic dissection in a woman in her 36th week of pregnancy. The anesthesiologist has the unique task of managing complicated and mutually exclusive physiologic goals and acts as a consultant bridging the mother’s well-being and fetal management.