How to obtain a decent medical kit and the training to use it?

[pohopetch]

Yacht Lifeline (http://www.yachtlifeline.com/) offer medical kits, training, books and emergency advice at sea by doctors via sat phone. They have offices in UK and Europe, US and New Zealand/Australia. While perhaps more geared to the super yacht and expedition market they also work with us regular yachties. We carry their extremely comprehensive manual which goes into great detail on things like suturing with easy to follow photos of real situations, and also has excellent charts on why, when and how to administer almost any drug you can think of with lots of cross reference for difference names in different countries. We have also carried drugs such as morphine, adrenaline, diazepam with nothing more than a letter from our GP saying he prescribed it for ocean voyaging and this has never caused any problem with customs.

 

[ffiill]

Once checked this out myself and was quite suprised to find that you can get almost anything online apart from morphine type pain relief.The self contained emergency packs are best as they include swabs;distilled waster;pads bandages etc.
Th other cure all is steristrips for closing wounds-almost as good as needle and thread.
In an emergency duct tape isnt too bad either!

 

[mixmaster]

We did the RYA/ISA courses and got the ship captains medical guide afterwards. We had a sympathetic Dr near us who gave us a prescription for all the drugs necessary. Only thing he would not do was give us injections because he said we would do more harm than good.

 

[tcm]

Jeez just seen Kellys eye post in the lounge. Not sure I have come accross most of that kit in my life.
We are off on a long cruise next year and while not suggesting that a few plasters and a bottle of asprin is sufficient I would be interested to know how much of the medical kit was actually used.

I have monster medical kit and not used any of it apart from plasters and a few pills in five years.

 

[Daedelus]

Did the Ship Captain's course some years ago and as said in 2 parts, first aid aboard ship and medical care.

Basically the first one is to try and sort out the immediate problem, the second to keep them alive until you can get them to the professionals.

The course majors on treating the symptoms and not in diagnosing what is wrong.

It is a long and intensive course: full 7 days of 8 hours each day plus homework.

The people who ran the course (KTY yachts) on the Hamble were very thorough and also gave us the contact details of a firm which would supply all the kit required - if you had the appropriate certificates.

I think KTY run courses at places other than the Hamble so worth an ask.

 

[rickym]

I think I will run with my CAT C first aid kit plus the day to day one, usual paracetamol, cold and flu remedies, over the counter pain killers, anti-inflamatories and some general purpose antibiotics for the usual infections. Medipac look pretty good. Only got to survive 3 weeks accross the Atlantic and as I haven't needed the quack in years I think I will survive!

I have added those with a Ship's Captain medical certificate to the Naval officer, wheelbarrow, umbrella etc!!

 

[binch]

Medix

When we first left, I embarked a full medical kit (including morphine injections) to MN standards. Being a Master Mariner and in a Part One registered ship, I had no difficulty getting the kit from a wholesaler.
My wife did the ship captain's med course at Lowestoft. It was excellent, she says, though a bit OTT on sexually acquired diseases and people passing out in oil tanks. The falling into the hold bit is valid; after all yotties do fall from aloft. Very valid was training in giving injections -- into an orange!
We kept the kit up to spec, but in fact used very little, and that usually on other boats' crews.
Our only prob was returning to Falmouth after 10 years and a stroppy customs officer confiscating our morphine. It is wise not to argue with customs officers because they can make rummaging painful if provoked, but I got a receipt.
Later I got an apology from HM Customs head office, but did not get the morphine back.
There is nowadays, a good yottie phaqrmacist in the channel Isles who approaches thiese matters with great common sense.

 

[binch]

PS

Add to my previous
The Yottie pharmacist in Jersey is Ian Hardy
Tel 01534 857668
He is most helpful and knows his subject
Bon voyage

 

[rickym]

Very helpful thanks. My experience of medical needs is that apart from the usual medication and basic first aid you do not need very much. When I lived on a farm in rural Africa we had minimal medical supplies just a basic first aid kit and a lot of Gin!

 

[zefender]

medical kit

I didn't do any course but sourced a supplier of medical kits who only wanted confirmation from my GP that he knew me and considered the list of items to be appropriate for the intended trip. A massive set of prescription stuff arrived including morphine, antibiotics etc.

The only real problem was cost! All this stuff (and particularly the expensive items) tends to expire after only a couple of years so it can become an expensive kit to maintain. Now, we're down to essentially, painkillers, bandages, burns kit, blood pressure monitor and er a rectal douche!

 

[rickym]

Not planning to get so stressed that I need a BP monitor! As for a rectal douche!!! Don't think I carry enough gin to use that!

 

[Roberto]

CIRM

Not directly related with the question, but a sensible thing to do IMHO is to store the email or phone number contact of CIRM, it is an Italian based Medical Assistance Centre to Seafarers providing help in English or Italian.
Before you laugh about Italian doctors, it's among the first established radio medical centre in the world (dates back to the 30's IIRC, first president was Marconi itself), the first for offshore sailors, and the most active they deal with over 2000-2500 cases a year (mariners, cruise ships, leisure sailing, etc). It's a public entity, they are in direct relationship with MRCC's with whom they work daily, in case medical evacuation is needed.
Available 24/7, it is completely free.

FWIW, we needed an advice during our Atlantic crossing, sent a radio Email, got an answer minutes later, then there was follow-up during the following days, we needed a drug which was expired in our box but we had in paediatric formulation.. well, all the info we might need, in minutes.

They have all the official documents, meaning if you tell them "all the symptoms seem those of the ship doctor medical guide page 240" they would know, also if you indicate what type of drugs you have onboard.


Contacts, from www.cirm.it http://www.cirm.it/eng/index_eng.html

Phone: [+39] - 06.54223045
Fax [+39 ] - 06.5923333
Cell: [+39] - 348 - 3984229
E-mail telesoccorso@cirm.it
Telex: 612068 C.I.R.M. I
+ relay through whatever coast radio station (or a passing ship if need be), just ask MEDRAD and they will patch you through.


fair winds
r

 

[Seajet]

When crossing to Guernsey from the Solent in quite a big swell - in those days with no VHF - my chum cut his hand on the lid of a tin can; sounds trivial doesn't it, but there was blood all over the cockpit and it wasn't fun.

Though he got away with it, I have never felt so alone, and took up another First Aid Course ASAP.

 

[alant]

When crossing to Guernsey from the Solent in quite a big swell - in those days with no VHF - my chum cut his hand on the lid of a tin can; sounds trivial doesn't it, but there was blood all over the cockpit and it wasn't fun.

Though he got away with it, I have never felt so alone, and took up another First Aid Course ASAP.

Should have tied it to a halyard & elevated it.

 

[Seajet]

What, the hand or crew ?!

 

[KellysEye]

>I would be interested to know how much of the medical kit was actually used.

One thing to note is if you carry a large array of medicines you will be asked by others if you have such and such. We used or gave to other various antbiotics and painkillers, brolene, senokot, windeze, flamzene cream, sterile water, stugeron, bandages and plasters, xylocane spray and doubtless things I've forgotten.

The reason we carried so much is two fold. Firstly you will have noticed that we carried some broad spectrum drugs but also a lot of targetted drugs. With some people certain antibiotics don't work and some are allergic to them. So we wanted a range of targeted drugs which are better in the first place. Secondly it was peace of mind, 1000 miles from nowhere self help is important. We did carry the Ship captain's Medical Book and SSB that we could have used to call Falmouth Coastguard and get put through to a doctor.

I don't regret not using many of the drugs we took and would do much the same again, in fact I'm very happy about it. I think our strategy was good but others may want to cut down the number of different drugs, as long as every possibility is coverd.

 

[Monique]

I am lucky in that my work requires me to train yearly with MEDAIRE.

The course is brilliant and yearly refreshers are a great help.

They do a course for the BIG boats and provide guidance as to which equipment to have aboard.

My GF is a "surgical room nurse"; she can stitch with her eyes shut With plentiful anaesthetics ...

 

[prv]

Having once been bent over a wardroom table with my trousers down to have a wound patched up, I'm all in favour of oceangoing vessels having a good medical kit!

I still have the scar, no you can't see it

The medical locker on Stavros is a walk-in cupboard.

Pete

 

[G12]

Just for info incase you or anyone builds their own first aid kit here...
http://sammedical.com/sam_splint.html
I've seen these demo'd and they're absolutely incredible. Very light too. I will be buying a couple for the Jester Challenge when the time comes.

 

[Poignard]

I think I read this tale in one of Alan Villiers's books:

In the days of sailing ships the captain's medical chest had numbered bottles containing the various pills and potions.

An AB reported sick, so the Old Man looked in the guide book and read that the man's symptoms warranted a dose of bottle 10. Unfortunately bottle 10 was found to be empty so the Old Man gave him a double dose of number 5 instead.

The patient was cured.