Impact of Marfan Syndrome Storyline on TV's "ER"

As NBC's long-running hospital drama, ER, ends this week, the accolades for the show are rolling in. The NMF, too, applauds all that ER has done. As many in the Marfan community probably remember, Marfan syndrome was included in the story line in October 2001. Lee Norton (second from left in the photo), a teenager with Marfan syndrome, actually acted as the Marfan patient and the story line had significant implications for the ER staff that season. More important for the NMF, the Foundation was able to leverage that show and generate extensive media coverage for Marfan syndrome on NBC affiliate stations nationwide, in newspapers, such as the New York Times (see story here), and in medical publications.

The impact still resonates in the medical community. Yesterday's New York Daily News included a feature about how ER inspired real-life doctors. The top eight episodes were cited and the Marfan story was included. The Daily News reporter wrote:

"The Longer You Stay," Season 8: Dr. Dave Malucci (Erik Palladino) thinks a patient is having a myocardial infarction - aka a heart attack - and administers a blood thinner; however, the patient actually has an aortic dissection from Marfan syndrome, and the meds help kill him. "Myocardial infarction and aortic dissection present in similar fashion, so it's not an easy diagnosis to make," says McCarthy. "As an ER doctor, I frequently worry about making this mistake myself."

We hope many lives were saved as a result of ER and the follow-up coverage.

Read the entire Daily News article.

Marfan Syndrome Public Awareness in St. Louis

The St. Louis media has always been very interested in Marfan syndrome. When the NMF held its Heartworks Gala there on March 7, it gave us the opportunity to capture the interest of the local media again. This was an excellent public awareness piece, featuring Dr. Angela Sharkey, the pediatric cardiologist who heads the clinical trial (losartan vs. atenolol) at St. Louis Children's Hospital, and NMF member Amber, a seven-year-old who is in the study. It aired on Monday, March 16.