wrote...

Here's an item from the daily USCG press release that inspires some
careful reflection:


(snippage for brevity)
COAST GUARD MEDEVACS 39-YEAR-OLD MAN NEAR PORT ANGELES, WASH.


SEATTLE - A 39-year-old man suffering from chest pains was medevaced
from a 600-foot vessel this morning 30 miles off the coast of Port
Angeles, Wash.



Fortunately for the 39- year old man the ship wasn't smack dab in the
middle of the Pacific.


The "typical" or "average" recreational boater is probably at least as
old as the crewman in this incident. How many of us have made plans (or
more importantly drilled our SO's ((as in "rehearsed", shame on you))
and usual boating companions) to implement effective procedures on that
inevitable day when we find ourselves flopping around the on the cabin
sole and turning blue?

Anybody carrying a defibrilator?

Any other good ideas to share?


My "good idea" is one that has already been rejected bya
majority of Americans: eat & live sensibly, so as to
minimize the risk of heart attack.



NOYB wrote:
Every boater who travels more than a couple of dozen miles from shore should
consider carrying an Automatic External Defibrillator. They're available
OTC from Sams club for under $1500...and are absolutely fool-proof to use.


Agreed, a well-equipped boat could have one of these... we
are considering one, for example.... but they don't make you
bulletproof. They can only help a person having specific
types of heart problems, and only work after you have NO pulse.

An auto defibrillator might help 50 ~ 60% of heart attack
victims who fall down with no pulse. It won't do a thing to
help those who have a wide variety of other cardiac problems.

And major point: it's *ABSOLUTELY* not a substitute for
thorough first-aid & CPR training.

Fair Skies-
Doug King