Medical emergencies

Very good advice and hopefully everything works out for your wife and her sisters.

 

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Thanks.

First of all, my best to your wife and sister. Being ill is bad enough, but to be ill in a foreign country is even tougher. I just feel compelled to say that never once have I considered a medical emergency an inconvenience to me and my vacation. It would be just plain unkind and insensitive to feel inconvenienced. My thoughts are always with the patient and their travel companions. It’s sad to think people actually think that way.

Unfortunately, some of those "stupid people" have a direct affect on your vacation.

 

Besides some of the reason stated above for cruising to be attractive to people with medical conditions I think is the fact that there are medical facilities just a short elevator ride away. Where else can you vacation and have medical help so close by? However, sometimes it also seems like people expect to have the capabilities of the Mass General at the end of that elevator ride. That is where the stupidity really comes into play.

I don't think that the medical personnel on ships are really the type you want in a medical emergency other than seasickness, headaches, or sunburn. ER medicine is a separate practice and there are a lot of stories out there of misdisagnosis by onboard physicians.

If he looks like Bernie Kopell, run.

They can stop you from sailing if you are pregnant more than 28 weeks, but that's about it.

I don't think that the medical personnel on ships are really the type you want in a medical emergency other than seasickness, headaches, or sunburn. ER medicine is a separate practice and there are a lot of stories out there of misdisagnosis by onboard physicians.

 

If he looks like Bernie Kopell, run.

I can tell you are an expert in medical emergencies on cruise ships:rolleyes:

They can stop you from sailing if you are pregnant more than 28 weeks, but that's about it.

Twenty four weeks.

And it's a hard and fast rule.

I was on the NCL Escape in February and we had to turn around and go back to Miami. A crew member had a heart attack, so it's not just passengers.

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Twenty four weeks.

 

And it's a hard and fast rule.

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I agree with most posters here that it is unlikely that passengers are taking more risk now and far more likely that a combination of larger ships (meaning more chances of an emergency which requires altering the route happens on any given sailing) and simply more reporting of issues thanks to social media, etc.

My very first cruise back in 1989 altered the route to drop off a medical emergency. My third cruise as well---that I recall clearly as they turned the ship very quickly, and did not announce why until the turn was completed and we were headed back to port and we had wondered why.

And so it goes---probably close to half our cruises have had some sort of medical evacuation that we were aware of.

I don't think that the medical personnel on ships are really the type you want in a medical emergency other than seasickness, headaches, or sunburn. ER medicine is a separate practice and there are a lot of stories out there of misdisagnosis by onboard physicians.

 

If he looks like Bernie Kopell, run.

Hmm--that has actually not been our experience at all. We have had reason to visit the medical center twice on different cruises and lines. In both cases we got excellent care

I don't think that the medical personnel on ships are really the type you want in a medical emergency other than seasickness, headaches, or sunburn. ER medicine is a separate practice and there are a lot of stories out there of misdisagnosis by onboard physicians.

 

If he looks like Bernie Kopell, run.

I have had conversations with plenty of physicians on the ships. I think your assessment is quite off the mark. And there are plenty of stories from people who have received great treatment aboard the ships.

Most ships have between 2-6 thousand passengers. If you take a sampling of that many people, how many would have a medical emergency in a week? Add to the fact the demographics are much older than a random sample of the population and the odds of having an incident increases exponentially.

These events are not new. These occurrences have happened since the beginning of cruising. The fact that everyone has a smart phone with a camera and WiFi onboard and stay connected to social media....the events are available in “real time” so are just more evident than in past times.

This.

My Mother was evaced off our cruise. Not a big deal for others, as we were in port at the time.

At the same time, another woman was evaced. She fell and broke her collar bone.

I was talking to the port agent while waiting for a taxi (my Dad went in the ambulance with my Mom, I packed some stuff for both of us and left my wife to deal with the rest of the cruise and luggage).

I asked it this was uncommon. He told me he was port agent for other lines also. He had on NCL cruise, that they med evaced someone. Pulled the gangway, had another medical emergency, put the gangway back, did the evac, pulled the gangway and AGAIN had to place it to evac.

A total of 6 people, 5 of which were after the gangway was pulled, but before they cast off.

First of all, my best to your wife and sister. Being ill is bad enough, but to be ill in a foreign country is even tougher. I just feel compelled to say that never once have I considered a medical emergency an inconvenience to me and my vacation. It would be just plain unkind and insensitive to feel inconvenienced. My thoughts are always with the patient and their travel companions. It’s sad to think people actually think that way.

Thanks.

I’m a Certified Emergency Nurse and I have had many co workers who have worked on cruise ships. I assure you they are able to take care of all emergencies, however they do not have access to highly advanced equipment that would be available in a hospital. ( MRI, surgery and many highly specialized skills) They do what they can to keep the patient stabilized until further help is available..

Twenty four weeks.

 

And it's a hard and fast rule.

True. Just ask the lady who denied boarding a Disney ship even with a doctor's note that he/she felt it was ok for the lady to sail even at 24 weeks. Disney wouldn't let her board

I can tell you are an expert in medical emergencies on cruise ships:rolleyes:

Being a retired paramedic in a family of RN's, I have quite a bit of medical exposure. No, I'm not a doctor, but I worked with them and I am very familiar with what goes on in an ER. Even ER's can and do make mistakes and not only are they trained in ER medicine, but they have a complete lab and specialists they can contact.

The main thing that puts the cruise ship doctor at a disadvantage is they do not have your medical records or know your history. They don't know your meds, frequency, or amounts. That means they may be guessing based on symptoms. Too many symptoms can be attributed to several conditions.

Is the doctor a GP or is he certified in ER medicine?

It doesn't take much of a search to find appendicitis diagnosed as a cold or other cases where a misdiagnosis was made..

Being a retired paramedic in a family of RN's, I have quite a bit of medical exposure. No, I'm not a doctor, but I worked with them and I am very familiar with what goes on in an ER. Even ER's can and do make mistakes and not only are they trained in ER medicine, but they have a complete lab and specialists they can contact.

 

The main thing that puts the cruise ship doctor at a disadvantage is they do not have your medical records or know your history. They don't know your meds, frequency, or amounts. That means they may be guessing based on symptoms. Too many symptoms can be attributed to several conditions.

 

Is the doctor a GP or is he certified in ER medicine?

 

It doesn't take much of a search to find appendicitis diagnosed as a cold or other cases where a misdiagnosis was made..

So now you are a retired paramedic? What happened to outfitting people for big game safaris and your IT career?:rolleyes:

IIRC, Royal Carib requires ER certification and experience for all medical personnel on board.

So now you are a retired paramedic? What happened to outfitting people for big game safaris and your IT career?:rolleyes:

Maybe he stayed at a Holiday Inn last night

Just this week, I had an allergic reaction to what the doctor felt like was medication, as I had not eaten anything in several hours. He called my doctor at home and they discussed it, and my home doctor told him it was ok for me to stop the new medication until I could get home. By the time I went to the clinic, my tongue was so swollen that I could not be understood when I tried to talk. This has happened to me once before, and the care I got in the clinic was just as good as I got in my home town emergency room for the same issue (a couple of years ago). Plus, it was a WHOLE lot cheaper.

I had a friend, in his mid 40's that was an ER nurse. He had a surgery involving his stomach and had gotten clearance from his doctor to go on his cruise a few years ago. At some point he developed an issue that caused internal bleeding and was evacced off the ship, but didn't make it. So, even with a doctor's release and seeming to be doing well, things still happen. You never know when it could be you. Another girl I knew (all of us from the same age group) had an apparent heart attack on a cruise. She was airlifted off, and the family also had to pay for her estimated care once she arrived at the hospital (I want to say Grand Cayman, but not certain). She was on a ventilator and eventually died. She had no previous health issues that I am aware of.

There are too many variables to say whether someone should delay a cruise, such as the case of my friend with the doctor's release....they thought everything was ok, and it didn't turn out to be.

Being a retired paramedic in a family of RN's, I have quite a bit of medical exposure. No, I'm not a doctor, but I worked with them and I am very familiar with what goes on in an ER. Even ER's can and do make mistakes and not only are they trained in ER medicine, but they have a complete lab and specialists they can contact.

 

The main thing that puts the cruise ship doctor at a disadvantage is they do not have your medical records or know your history. They don't know your meds, frequency, or amounts. That means they may be guessing based on symptoms. Too many symptoms can be attributed to several conditions.

 

Is the doctor a GP or is he certified in ER medicine?

 

It doesn't take much of a search to find appendicitis diagnosed as a cold or other cases where a misdiagnosis was made..

I stand by my comment

Being a retired paramedic in a family of RN's, I have quite a bit of medical exposure. No, I'm not a doctor, but I worked with them and I am very familiar with what goes on in an ER. Even ER's can and do make mistakes and not only are they trained in ER medicine, but they have a complete lab and specialists they can contact.

 

The main thing that puts the cruise ship doctor at a disadvantage is they do not have your medical records or know your history. They don't know your meds, frequency, or amounts. That means they may be guessing based on symptoms. Too many symptoms can be attributed to several conditions.

 

Is the doctor a GP or is he certified in ER medicine?

 

It doesn't take much of a search to find appendicitis diagnosed as a cold or other cases where a misdiagnosis was made..

And this is different from any ER or walk in clinic that you might go to on land? And as far as appendicitis goes, it can be a difficult diagnosis to make even with the imaging studies that we do now. Sometimes normal appendixes end up being removed and sometimes hot ones are missed. And, by the way, it is not unusual to now sit on hot ones for a bit to see if they settle down. And yes I am a physician, not retired, and related to a few nurses myself.:rolleyes:

Just before debarking so you have had your cruise.

 

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Actually, we were on a Celebrity cruise once waiting in a lounge to depart. One side was smoking and the other nonsmoking. We were on the nonsmoking side and heard a commotion on the smoking side and then a call for a doctor on board. One of our table mates was an EMS and went to see if she could help. When she came back she said the person had expired.

Being a retired paramedic in a family of RN's, I have quite a bit of medical exposure. No, I'm not a doctor, but I worked with them and I am very familiar with what goes on in an ER. Even ER's can and do make mistakes and not only are they trained in ER medicine, but they have a complete lab and specialists they can contact.

 

The main thing that puts the cruise ship doctor at a disadvantage is they do not have your medical records or know your history. They don't know your meds, frequency, or amounts. That means they may be guessing based on symptoms. Too many symptoms can be attributed to several conditions.

 

Is the doctor a GP or is he certified in ER medicine?

 

It doesn't take much of a search to find appendicitis diagnosed as a cold or other cases where a misdiagnosis was made..

So, as a retired paramedic you'll know this is pretty much the same for emergency services on land then...my mom got picked up by paramedics a few of years ago, they didn't have her records or history, and they guessed based on symptoms. They guessed a stroke. Once at hospital with access to all history and notes and lab equipment they took her to the stroke ward. 2 days later they eventually did some more test and found out she had meningo-encephalitis which is very different...

As for how trained they are, a simple search will tell you what is required to apply.

When it comes to trauma and life threatening illnesses onboard, the ship doctors job is to keep you alive until they can get you to someone/somewhere, that can actually help.

A cruise ship can sail without a captain, but it cannot sail without a doctor.

Unfortunately, some of those "stupid people" have a direct affect on your vacation.

 

Besides some of the reason stated above for cruising to be attractive to people with medical conditions I think is the fact that there are medical facilities just a short elevator ride away. Where else can you vacation and have medical help so close by? However, sometimes it also seems like people expect to have the capabilities of the Mass General at the end of that elevator ride. That is where the stupidity really comes into play.

Having toured one I’d admit it was a nicer facility than I expected. That said I’d not expect much better care than I’d get at an Urgent Care Center with the exception of the ability of the crew to administer ACLS. I saw that they do have high level care beds to keep folks in until they can get to shore. I’m definitely not expecting Texas Medical Center level care on a ship and always have good medical evac if something should cause me to need care. In fact I buy coverage that allows me to choose where I want my treatment so I could be brought home, even have that on an annual basis so I can be sent home if visiting parents beach house.