Anyone fallen seriously ill mid atlantic?

[cunard candy]

I was wondering what happens if you are taken ill mid atlantic and require emergency surgery or treatment- appendicitis/heart attack?

I know that the QM2 has a hospital on board for ailments but everytime I have been on a cruise - the ship returns to port and the unwell person is taken off or they have been airlifted.

But mid-atlantic what can be done?

[cruiseluvva]

A heart attack can be managed on board, they can even use clot busters if necessary.

Appedicitis can usually be managed medically, without surgery until the patient can be airlifted off. The Medical Centre has contact with a hospital in the US, including instant reading and reporting of x-rays etc.

[Salacia]

Hi Cunard candy. An interesting article answering your question can be found at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-Camby-1.html

quoted in part: "Queen Mary 2 has a large medical center with doctors and nurses. In fact, the ship has been
diverted in order to bring medical assistance to the sick and injured on other vessels. Why then
would the ship ever have to do a helicopter evacuation? “The facilities onboard are second to none
for a ship but they do not equate to some of the facilities that you have at a land-based hospital,
including the ability to operate. We don’t have an operating theater onboard. Some of the guests that
we have disembarked medically by helicopter needed surgery. That decision is often made between
the doctor and the captain, whoever is in command at the time.”

Happily, I have no personal experience of the Medical Center on board, but I did witness a helicopter evacuation of a sick passenger at sea on QM2 and it was very impressive. (Commodore Rynd was in command at the time- kudos to him, his crew and the capatian and crew of the US chopper.)

Regards,
Salacia

[Jimsgirl]

I was also on board at that time, unfortunately although passengers were asked not to use their flash cameras, there was hordes of flashes,in fact in the dining room, there was a mass scramble to get to the windows (this was during dinner, and people left their tables to crowd around the windows), my table was at a window and other passengers were 3 deep, reaching over each others shoulders in order to take photographs.

It was disgusting to see the behavior of these ghouls.

[retafcruiser]

Originally Posted by Salacia

We don’t have an operating theater onboard.

As I recall, QE2 was built with two operating theaters. Whether they remained through her long life, I do not know.

[keithm]

Originally Posted by Salacia

Hi Cunard candy. An interesting article answering your question can be found at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-Camby-1.html

quoted in part: "Queen Mary 2 has a large medical center with doctors and nurses. In fact, the ship has been
diverted in order to bring medical assistance to the sick and injured on other vessels. Why then
would the ship ever have to do a helicopter evacuation? “The facilities onboard are second to none
for a ship but they do not equate to some of the facilities that you have at a land-based hospital,
including the ability to operate. We don’t have an operating theater onboard. Some of the guests that
we have disembarked medically by helicopter needed surgery. That decision is often made between
the doctor and the captain, whoever is in command at the time.”

Happily, I have no personal experience of the Medical Center on board, but I did witness a helicopter evacuation of a sick passenger at sea on QM2 and it was very impressive. (Commodore Rynd was in command at the time- kudos to him, his crew and the capatian and crew of the US chopper.)

Regards,
Salacia

We had a helicopter evac. in 2006. It was a short(8 days) Caribbean trip in late Nov. It was amazing. They did have to keep everyone in doors for safety reasons, but we saw them come in & liftoff from our balcony.

[MawganTr]

There was a medivac on QV 2 weeks ago on the second evening of the med gems trip. We had had a sea day with one more to go before our first port. I was impressed how the captain kept us informed of what was going on. All we knew (quite rightly) was that a crew member was seriously ill. They did update us that they had been flown straight to hospital where they were taken to theatre immediately.
We were in dinner at the time but luckily, I wasn't aware of any spectators.


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[shinyshoes]

On the QV baltic cruise in 2010 I was unfortunate enough to get ill and require an xray. The results were interpreted by a clinic in Houston Texas and I was given a DVD with the xray on to take to my doctor in the UK. Aint technology wonderful?
SS

[Menelaus]

Originally Posted by shinyshoes

On the QV baltic cruise in 2010 I was unfortunate enough to get ill and require an xray. The results were interpreted by a clinic in Houston Texas and I was given a DVD with the xray on to take to my doctor in the UK. Aint technology wonderful?
SS

Yes it is, did they charge you and if so did the insurance pay up?

[RJChatsworth]

A Cunard Medical Officer told me that if anyone is taken ill on board it is sometimes prudent to get them off the ship as soon as possible. It might seem heartless, but it is bad for the statistics if they die onboard!

[MawganTr]

We were lucky to be able to do the 'behind the scenes' tour on the QV. part of that visit was to the medical centre. Interestingly, they are don't always send a patient to hospital at the next port. They know which hospitals are good and which are less good. If they can give better care on board then they will keep a patient until a decent hospital is within reach. (I'm sure this does depend on the life threatening nature of the illness) I was v v impressed with the facilities on board. 2 ICU beds, a ventilator, x ray, links with land based hospitals.


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[Keuka Lake Sailor]

I do not know the ending of this story, but on my April transatlantic crossing I met two Englishmen the first morning out at breakfast, both probably in their early 70's. They were going to sight see in NYC for five days after the voyage, then fly back to England. I ran into them again in the Kings Court 4 days later to learn that one of them had become seriously ill suddenly with a kidney problem- after never having a problem of this type his whole life. He was being treated with drugs thru the vein 4 times a day and was feeling somewhat better. The ship's doctors had arranged for him to see a specialist in NYC and further tests at a a hospital during their stay there. He seemed well satisfied with his care on board, but was really concerned about the cost of the treatment which was being billed to his onboard account. Of course, they had purchased insurance so I would think that he should be reimbursed without any problem.

[shinyshoes]

Originally Posted by Menelaus

Yes it is, did they charge you and if so did the insurance pay up?

Yes they charged and yes my insurance paid up.
SS

[keithm]

Originally Posted by RJChatsworth

A Cunard Medical Officer told me that if anyone is taken ill on board it is sometimes prudent to get them off the ship as soon as possible. It might seem heartless, but it is bad for the statistics if they die onboard!

On chatting with some of the waiters, we found that an average of about 3 people pass away during any cruise of 10 days or more.(QM2)There's a fair amount of retired pax who live on the Cunard ships. I'd much more enjoy that than an assisted living place. If they need full care then a provider may travel with the pax.

[Garybem]

Originally Posted by keithm

On chatting with some of the waiters, we found that an average of about 3 people pass away during any cruise of 10 days or more.(QM2)There's a fair amount of retired pax who live on the Cunard ships. I'd much more enjoy that than an assisted living place. If they need full care then a provider may travel with the pax.

"Much Less People Die than People think", was what the Doctor on the QE and before that on the QM2 told us. (But he may have been trying to be more positive but seemed be be quite frank and upfront of course!)

On the QE we did the behind scenes your and spent time with the Doctor.

He told us that when we asked him the question:

- Very few people die on-board, although there is a mortuary on board. But in the single figures. This is because (he said):

. People who are terminal ill don't or can't go on a cruise, and so people who are really ill tend not to be on the ship to start with.

. Cunard do evacuate anyone (passenger or crew) who are seriously ill either at next port or in extreme cases by helicopter (or by diverting and using Lifeguard rescue - see the video on my blog of the UK RNLI going to meet a diverted QM2 to take off a passenger that had a heart attack: http://www.allaboutcunard.com/2012/0...l#.UCa-VkKz7dk)

. They have an Intensive Care/ High Dependency Unit and can deal with most serious things until people can be got off the ship. As someone else also says they have x-ray and can do minor procedures, but tend not to as they can get people off the ship. Even for broken bones they will make the patient comfortable and get them to a hospital rather.

- The main cause of people dying is heart attack.

- The worst time to have either a heart attack or get really ill is once you are a few days into a Transatlantic. By then you are too far even for them to get a helicopter which can bounce from Oil Rig to Oil rig to refuel to get to the ship when you are a day or two into the Atlantic. Pretty much elsewhere they can get you off within a day.

It is though a topic I am sure we will never fully get the exact facts on!

But one we all like to know about..

G

[keithm]

Originally Posted by TipsForTravellers

"Much Less People Die than People think", was what the Doctor on the QE and before that on the QM2 told us. (But he may have been trying to be more positive but seemed be be quite frank and upfront of course!)

On the QE we did the behind scenes your and spent time with the Doctor.

He told us that when we asked him the question:

- Very few people die on-board, although there is a mortuary on board. But in the single figures. This is because (he said):

. People who are terminal ill don't or can't go on a cruise, and so people who are really ill tend not to be on the ship to start with.

. Cunard do evacuate anyone (passenger or crew) who are seriously ill either at next port or in extreme cases by helicopter (or by diverting and using Lifeguard rescue - see the video on my blog of the UK RNLI going to meet a diverted QM2 to take off a passenger that had a heart attack: http://www.allaboutcunard.com/2012/0...l#.UCa-VkKz7dk)

. They have an Intensive Care/ High Dependency Unit and can deal with most serious things until people can be got off the ship. As someone else also says they have x-ray and can do minor procedures, but tend not to as they can get people off the ship. Even for broken bones they will make the patient comfortable and get them to a hospital rather.

- The main cause of people dying is heart attack.

- The worst time to have either a heart attack or get really ill is once you are a few days into a Transatlantic. By then you are too far even for them to get a helicopter which can bounce from Oil Rig to Oil rig to refuel to get to the ship when you are a day or two into the Atlantic. Pretty much elsewhere they can get you off within a day.

It is though a topic I am sure we will never fully get the exact facts on!

But one we all like to know about..

G

It's kind of like going to the movies. You see a scene where it's pouring, but all around the area it's either dry or sunny. It's those questions we all kind of like to know the answers to.