First Aid for Onboard Medical Emergencies

A listing of selected on-line medical resources
for boaters, cruisers, and crew. 





    

  • PowerPoint presentations


    


      

    • 

First Aid for Onboard Medical Emergencies

      
Available in both

PowerPoint
and 
PDF formats.
By William Quick, MD. 


    • 

Extended Coastal Cruising:
Medical Preparation
and Care

      
A PDF presentation.
By Jerry Reves, MD, and Larry Raney, MD of MUSC.



    • 



Basic Boating First Aid


       An on-line PowerPoint presentation, by Joshua Hawley, EMT. Easy to read on-line, and can be downloaded as a PowerPoint presentation.

At
Docstoc




    • 


First Aid: Personalizing your approach to medical 
emergencies and more minor medical problems


       Another on-line PowerPoint presentation, by Kathie King MD, FHYC Fleet Surgeon. Easy to read on-line, and can be downloaded as a PowerPoint presentation.

At
Docstoc



    

    


  • Other on-line information

    


      



    • 

Cruising Health
      

A website by 
Jerry Reves, MD. Includes sections on 

diet, 

exercise, 

medicine chest, and 

preventive care.




    • 

The Ship Captain's Medical Guide
      
From the 



UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency.
"The Ship Captain’s Medical Guide is intended primarily for use on ships where no doctor is carried and it is necessary for laymen to assess and treat injuries and to diagnose and treat ill health. The Guide can also be recommended for use in other situations where professional medical advice is not readily available, for example on expeditions."

Consists of 15 downloadable PDFs covering just about everything. 






    • 

The Onboard Medical Guide: First Aid and Emergency Medicine Afloat
      
A book by Paul G. Gill, Jr., MD. Published 1995; available at 
Amazon.com. 
Hint to cheapskates like me: You can click on the "Look Inside!" area at the Amazon webpage, and find details for treating some emergencies, including (among others) near-drowning, hypothermia, and jellyfish stings.



    • 

Being Prepared For The Likely Medical Emergencies At Sea
      

"A four-step talk to help sailors prepare for the most common medical problems when cruising."
By Alayne Main


    • 

Common Medical Emergencies Aboard Sailing Race Boats
      
By Carol Bareuther, RD;
at 

All At Sea.
"The best way to prevent medical emergencies while sailing is to have a good crew briefing prior to racing...
Take time to be sure the crew is familiar with the deck layout and inform them of any hazards. For example, point out the worst obstacles like low booms... 
Many injuries happen because new crew haven’t sufficiently practiced."


    • 
Top Two Onboard Medical Emergencies


      
By Janine Ketterer and Kelly Sanford;
at Dockwalk.com

"The top two medical emergencies yacht crew are likely to encounter [are] heart attacks and drowning."



        

      • 

Treating Chest Pain at Sea
        
        
By Paulo Magalhães Alves, M.D.;
at Dockwalk.com
 "Doctors typically will manage chest pain cases as heart attack until proven otherwise."


      • 


Responding to a Drowning Victim 
        
        
By Kelly Sanford;
at 

Dockwalk.com
"It's good practice occasionally to review the proper procedures for addressing the life-and-death scenario of attempting to rescue a person who has nearly drowned or appears to have died from drowning."


      


    • 
Your traveling medical record

      
By William Quick, MD; at

D-is-for-Diabetes.com

A listing of personal medical records that would be wise to have with you when traveling.



    • 
Travelers' Health

      
From 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Topics include (among others):


 
      Destinations
      
 
      Health information for travel to over 200 international destinations
      
 
 
      Vaccinations
      
 
      General information about vaccinations for travel
      
 
 
      Diseases
      
 
      Diseases related to travel, including malaria and yellow fever
      
 
 
      Illness & Injury Abroad
      
 
      Prepare for your trip
      
 
 
      Yellow Book 2012
      
 
      Travel health reference, includes updates to the online edition
      
 
 
      Find a Clinic
      
 
      Locate a travel health specialist or yellow fever vaccination clinic
      
 
 
      Stay Healthy & Safe
      
 
      Insect protection, safe food & water, survival guide.
      
 
 
      Resources & Training
      
 
      Training; journals & articles; domestic & international partners
      




    • 
Emergency Procedures

      
From 
Special Notice to Mariners,

1st Coast Guard District, 2001; at

USCG
website.

Medical information is on third page.





    • 
Locate, Access and Assess, Stabilize and Transport

      
From 
the American Canoe Association; at their

website.



    • 
Aspirin: Questions and Answers

      
From 
the 
FDA; at their

website.



    



    


  • Websites selling medical stuff (Listed alphabetically):



      




    • Adventure Medical Kits
      
www.adventuremedicalkits.com/
"First aid kits and survival tools for wilderness medicine, family outings, and travel."


    • Emergency Medical Products, Inc.
      
www.buyemp.com/
"Serving first responders, fire and rescue, police, hospitals, colleges and universities, and more for 40 years, EMP is your premier source for emergency medical equipment and supplies."


    • OceanMedix.com
      
www.oceanmedix.com/
"...for the Coastal Cruiser, Ocean Voyager and Commercial Fisherman
 ...now serving the Commercial / Industrial, Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, and Military Communities." 


    


  • 


Marine Medicine:
A Comprehensive Guide


    
Available at  Amazon.com.
By Eric Weiss, MD and Michael Jacobs, MD. Second edition published 2012.
The latest information on marine first aid. It includes chapters on hazardous marine life, submersion injury and dive medicine, rescue and evacuation of the sick and injured, wound cleaning and closing, and much more.
(Note: Although the book has 333 pages, it is small in size: it measures approximately 6 x 4 x 1 inches.

    



  • 

Marine Accident Brief
 No. DCA-10-FM-003



    
At the National Transportation Safety Board website.
A PDF of a report of a collision between a passenger boat, Thriller 09,
and a Coast Guard vessel, CG 25689, which occurred after dark on December 5, 2009
in Charleston harbor. There were six minor injuries to passengers on the Thriller 09.

    



  • Report your previous onboard medical problems! 

    A survey from the Medical University of South Carolina is on-line. It's 
at
Cruising Health Questionnaire (III), (The 
questionnaire is anonymous and confidential -- your personal information will not be identified or shared -- and should be filled in by the person with the illness
or injury.)









Updated April 11, 2013







Webpage by 

William W. Quick, MD (member, Charleston Sail and Power Squadron).
Please provide comments or suggestions for additional webpages to him at
wwq@swq.com