"greatviz" wrote in message
news:DOPbf.245750$p_1.225730@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
> Unfortunately, on a transatlantic cruise you could be days away from
> pediatric emergency care. No medivacs/helicopters fly in that kind of
> range. On a coastal trip, there could still be a delay in appropriate
> treatment - but it won't be 3, 4, or 5 days delay.
>
> Pediatric emergencies in a child under the age of one are often outright
> -emergencies-
> Things can get very ugly very quickly. Although the chance of such an
> emergency is very small, the risks associated with it are extremely
> high. The cruise line has decided to limit some of that risk by
> creating rules that put limits on the ages of their child cruisers.
>
> There is a doctor and a few nurses on the ship, but unless the doc is a
> pediatrician experienced in all pediatric specialties, don't expect the
> level of care your child could receive at a land based facility.
> He can't perform every test. He doesn't have every drug available. He
> may be reliant on a phone call or internet services to make emergency
> consultations with a specialist. It takes very precious time relaying
> information back and forth and it doesn't take the place of actually
> examining the child her/himself. Experienced hands and a well equipped
> facility -can- make a difference in the final outcome in any medical
> emergency.
This would obviously be true for the elderly too. There are no geriatric or
heart specialists on the cruise either, yet I've never heard any
restrictions on elderly, or for that matter less than healthy cruisers. Why
is that?
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