anyone been on medical onboard??

Good morning,

I was wondering how the on board doc determines who needs to airlifted off the ship vs who can be treated on board? Does he have an x ray machine or the ability to do simple labs?? or is he relying solely on his judgement...

Just curious as I am a nurse...

Have a good day everyone..

I would imagine if he thinks you are going to die, than you get airlifted. The ship is not a hospital, and can treat easy stuff. They have basic x-rays etc.

Good morning,

I was wondering how the on board doc determines who needs to airlifted off the ship vs who can be treated on board? Does he have an x ray machine or the ability to do simple labs?? or is he relying solely on his judgement...

 

Just curious as I am a nurse...

 

Have a good day everyone..

Probably the same way a regular hospital determines if a patient needs to be transported to a different facility.

I have had xrays on a ship so at least one ship has a machine.

As a first responder on a ski slope, I have the authority to call flight for life based on my assessment of the need. At the time of the response there is no xray machine or ability to do simple labs, just a need to save a life.

There are times when one knows evacuation is needed, no need for xrays or labs. There is no way I could, or would detail how the decision is made as no two events are the same.

I would hope the medical personnel on a ship have the same authority.

Basically like an ER works. If the patient can be treated in the ER, they remain there. If the patient needs additional expertise/equipment and can be kept stable, the patient will be kept in the ER until the surgeon/OR is available (the patient on the ship will be disembarked at the next port to hospital). If the patient has life threatening problems, or cannot be kept stable onboard, and if the air evacuation assets are available, and the risks of air evacuation outweigh the risks of remaining onboard, then the patient will be evacuated. But, yes, it is the doctor's decision, just like it is in any hospital.

The ship's medical facility is like a small ER. It can do x-rays, casting and splinting, minor suturing, EKG, some cardiac support, etc.

Unfortunately I spent quite a bit of our last cruise in medical. The have an X-ray machine and can provide medications like ibuprofen and Benadryl without you having to be examined by the doctor. For any prescriptions, you will have to see the doctor and pay the examination fee. I had to have antibiotics and pain medication which came in IV form. They ran a catheter into my arm and just covered it up with a bandage so I wouldn't have to get stuck each time.

I found out that the crew gets pretty fast appointments scheduled with specialists- if needed- in the ship's home port. Medical is largely on the ship to take care of the crew's needs.

If you are a nurse and are interested, they may give you a tour of the medical facilities. My sons are firefighter paramedics, and asked if they could see the facilities (on the Victory, I think). They had them come back at a designated time and showed them around.

I'm sure this is at each ship's discretion and only if they aren't treating patients at the time.

If there is a reason other than curiosity you should be talking with carnival and not taking advice on this or and forum!!

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The Coast guard will not launch a medical flight with out approval of the on call flight surgeon. That being said the ships Dr. And a Coast Guard flight surgeon will discuss what's best for the patient. Sometimes a flight is not the best for the patient! USCG BMC retired sends

X-rays and labs are available. Air "Transfer" is determined by STABILITY. They can't transfer some pts. The ships have the ability to ventilate as an example.

I been on several ships with helicopter and boat evacuations, what they are going for, really isn't anyone's business, and gets enhanced by the grapevine anyway. :)

X-rays and labs are available. Air "Transfer" is determined by STABILITY. They can't transfer some pts. The ships have the ability to ventilate as an example.

 

I been on several ships with helicopter and boat evacuations, what they are going for, really isn't anyone's business, and gets enhanced by the grapevine anyway. :)

On our recent cruise to Hawaii, we were 1 hour out of Long Beach when the captain announced that we were turning around and meeting the Coast Guard to evacuate a woman who had a heart attack in the MDR. From people who were sitting round her table, they could see everything that was going on. The crew stood hand-in-hand with table cloths to shield her from people's view. Not necessarily a "grapevine" thing since the captain explained why were were heading back towards port.

To the OP, I don't know how the medical office determines who is air lifted and who is not. We've been on several cruises where we were close enough to port to turn around and head back. One time they put the patient on a tender and headed back to the pier. The ship turned around to go meet the tender headed back. A few didn't need to be airlifted as they passed away on board.

They are well equipped to handle almost anything sort of surgery. My then 89 year old father

had complications from CHF while onboard the Glory. They were able to sedate him, put him on a ventilator, run all the necessary labs, communicate with hospitals, and they called me at home every 2 hours with updates. My Dad was too sick to airlift so the ship picked up speed and got to port as fast as possible. An ambulance was waiting and ship staff packed his belongings etc. and sent them with him. Bluntly, they saved his life.

It wasn't cheap but can you really put a price on life? He turned 91 today!

Good morning,

I was wondering how the on board doc determines who needs to airlifted off the ship vs who can be treated on board? Does he have an x ray machine or the ability to do simple labs?? or is he relying solely on his judgement...

 

Just curious as I am a nurse...

 

Have a good day everyone..

The clinic on board carnival ships has x-ray, a 2-3 bed ICU, ventilators, lab, ect... It is like a very well stocked emergency room. The physicians are usually family physicians or emergency room physicians but are expected to function as family physician of the entire crew, emergency room physician for the passengers, and ICU physician in an emergency until the ship can reach port. The physician does have the ultimate word on whether a patient is Medivac to shore but they realize the implications of their decision since this is extremely expensive and causes a great deal of inconvenience for the entire ship, crew, and passengers so they only take this step if they truly must! They do have the ability to begin treatment with thrombolytics for cardiac events but not all of the ships have CT capability so they are unable to administer thrombolytics for stroke since you must get a CT of the brain to rule out bleed before giving this.

Thanks everyone for your input. I am truely just curious, I have no intention of getting sick on board.

Just noticed on Marine Traffic, the Magic is headed back to Key West. Probably a medical issue.

The coast guard flight surgeon has the final say on weather to evacuate by air. not the onboard DR. The onboard Dr. can only request.

If you have major medical issues...it's best not to cruise...or if you do...have evacuation insurance! They are equipped for minor things....like tummy aches, sprains, bruises, minor cuts, etc.....not for heart, lung, kidney, spleen, liver or intestinal blockages, pregnancy issues or newborn things....

The coast guard flight surgeon has the final say on weather to evacuate by air. not the onboard DR. The onboard Dr. can only request.

Further, the doctor can only advise the Captain, who will make the decision whether or not requesting a medical evacuation places the ship, the other passengers, the crew, or the environment at risk. The same restriction on evacuation will apply when considering a transfer to a boat, the USCG will consult with their medical staff to determine if the need outweighs the risk.

very interesting thread

I was a carnival nurse and there are MANY factors, most of the posts have been very close to the mark. I advise everyone to purchase trip insurance, as ccl takes NONE. I also advise you to try to not get sick on the ship, it's not the best place to have that happen. There are NO ct scanners on any of their ships, and the blood work equip is questionable, but works in a bind!

Sadly, the cost of gas also factors into the captains decision making, as do wind and sea conditions, you can NOT always get medevaced when you should... But it is the dr, who is a four stripe senior officer that has the final say if all other things are equal.

Several years back while playing volleyball on Barbados I fractured my wrist. Once back on board, they performed x-rays, confirmed the break, wrapped it and put me in a sling. Offered me pain meds but that would have meant "no alcohol" so I chose to decline the drugs. When I got back home, the orthopedic doctor set my wrist.