1. You and three others in your boat are having a great day on "x" spot when your mate trips and shatters his leg. Much pain, sobbing, screaming results. What do you do:
A. Send out a MAYDAY call
B Send out a PAN PAN call
C Send out a MEDIVAC ASSIST call
D Keep fishing
It all depends on how much beer is still left in the esky
If the leg was broken, I would splint it with a rod and start for home slowly. Once close enough to use the phone, call the ambulance to meet us at the ramp. Or use the radio to contact the coast guard for directions as what to do.
cheers
Les
No way is this a mayday!!
Step 1 - doubledose patient with panadeine fortes (always kept on boat for such a case,) splint leg and make patient as comfortable as possible.
Step 2 - call coast guard and request ambulance be sent to nearest appropriate landfall. Ascertain eta of ambo at landfall
Step 3 - put out lures and troll back if time permits, no point getting back much earlier than the ambo
Seriously though, I all but severed a finger one day, didn't really know what to do so we called the CG who alerted the nearest bush hospital. (We were a long way from anywhere and this was before mobile phones). I was about to stick it in the water and give it a wash (seemed like a good idea at the time) when a nurse who heard the call to the CG called me and said "Keep it clean and KEEP IT DRY!!!" Ten hours later, a genius microsurgeon sewed it back on and it still works (well, kind of). The nurse's advice saved me a finger. I don't ever remember a tougher day getting the boat back on the trailer...
Cheers,
Yockman
Serious answer - splint it using an oar or anything else suitable on board, give the passenger pain killers, make sure the situation is calm and under control and assess the damage, call the coast gaurd and notify them of your misfortune and request an ambulance to be at the ramp when you arrive, also assistance to load the boat. Then head back in slowly and carefully.
Joke answer - splint it, get him/her pissed so they pass out and just keep fishing.
Pan Pan
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p.a. call for any doctor on board to notify the deckie.
Well i would have to put a call into our local coast watch (which is a radio base only) splint leg as per first aid training and then slowly motor back to the boat ramp at smithton or stanley as there is no other port to safely return to. I would give no medication or any thing orally except if instructed to by a medical officer via coast watch
cheers
blaze
ps
I like the thought of trolling back, migtht catch the fish of a life time LOL
In this day and age..with all this litigation crap..I would not splint it in case I caused more damage..I would not move for the same reason. I would call for some assistance to arrive.
I would have to agee with bungie & make a Pan Pan call to the VMR or VCG , and advise of the situation .
Peter
Searaider 2
Depends who you're on the boat with and who you're applying first aid too. If you're out on the boat with a few of your mates, then you should have to worry about that kind of thing. Real mates wouldn't sue your ass if you somehow messed up while genuinely trying to help them out.
Shock is one of the worst effects of an injury in the field and it is necessary to calm the patient and reassure them to reduce the effects of shock.
It is then necessary to assess circulation to the rest of the extremity as a broken bone may obstruct the flow of blood. Loss of circulation can result in permanent damage to the extremity. In this case, upon touching the skin of the foot lightly, it should whiten, then return to a pinkish colour within 2 seconds. Signs of circulation being affected are blue skin, pins and needles, tingling sensations, loss of pulse etc. If circulation is noticeably and badly affected, then it may be necessary to move the extremity to a position that allows better circulation. This is only reccomended as an extreme remedy however if medical help is some considerable distance/time away.
Personally, I'd then be splinting the leg with either the gaff if there was one handy (not on Rob's boat cause he'd forget the freakin thing for sure
If the fracture is a compound fracture (bone has pierced the skin) and the bleeding is severe, then pressure is required at the site of the bleeding to control it until medical assistance becomes available. If the bleeding is not severe, it is best to bandage the affect area as pressure to the site may cause further damage.
Lay the patient down and make them as comfortable as possible. Apply ice or a cold pack to the wounded area and cover accordingly. Raise the legs slightly above the head to reduce swelling and the affects of shock.
Send out a few deep divers for the slow troll home and remind your wounded mate that you may need the gaff if there's a hookup.
Ben
good to see most of us are not going to lose any fish time and run a few lures on the run back, after all isnt this what we went for any even an injured mate should surely understand this LMAO
cheers
blaze
Basically it's a PAN call, the normal first aid and associated stuff BUT the word "shatters" could have all sorts of different interpretations.
A "shattered" leg normally means all sorts of complications as opposed to simply say breaking a leg.
One of the things that basically differentiates between a PAN and a MAYDAY is (father) time. If there was no complications, just a break and no threat to life then a PAN fits the requirements.
Similar with say a vessel drifting towards rocks and if 2 hours off, then there's no real grave and immenent danger to vessel or person so a PAN but if 15 minutes from rocks then that ups the anti to a MAYDAY and MAYDAY applies to either the vessel and/or a person.
With complications and possible (even half suspected) life theatening and time appears critical then by all means I would make it a MAYDAY.
Can be a bit of a grey area with the term "medical emergency" but life threatening situations as far as I'm concerned don't fit in the intended meaning of "medical emergency" especially where "time" (the keyword) is of the essence.
Cheers, Kerry.
I'd call a pan, and not give medication unless it is the persons own medication and administer first aid as per training. yockmanPanadeine forte are not good if kept in too hot a temp, (25 deg and below) plus some people have some very bad reactions to it.doubledose patient with panadeine fortes (always kept on boat for such a case,)
cheers
Joe.
Good point there about the medication there Joe.. i know if someone were to give me something with codiene in it, they'd be mopping up a fair bit of berley off the deck. I usually carry a couple of panadol in my wallet and change em every month... so if the person has pain killers with them then use them.
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