Appendicitis while offshore? New study shows that you might not need surgery

[MondayNever]

I came across this article today and it has direct relevance to the sailing community. Appendicitis is a real risk for offshore sailors, as it is a relatively common issue and requires rapid response to avoid potentially deadly consequences. Traditionally, this has meant an appendectomy (surgery to remove the appendix). If you're somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic and you start displaying the symptoms of appendicitis, you're going to have make some quick decisions. What happens if you leave this for another 10 days until you make landfall in St. Lucia? Are you going to have push the button and get rescued? Even if you're transferred to a faster vessel, will you reach airlift range in time?


This dilemma has caused some sailors (and other adventurers) to have an appendectomy prior to ever having appendicitis, so as to prevent the issue from ever coming up at all. Voluntary surgery is a little extreme for most of us, so thankfully it looks like there is another option if we're faced with appendicitis at sea.


https://arstechnica.com/science/2018...can-be-enough/


This article summarizes the results of a 5 year study that examined the outcomes of 272 appendicitis patients who underwent antibiotic treatment instead of surgery. They received a 3 day IV antibiotic regimen followed by 7 days of oral antibiotics. The majority (61 percent) made full recoveries and did not require surgery in the following 5 year period. The remainder of patients required surgical intervention at some later point.



From my perspective as a sailor, the latter result is not a problem. The goal is to get to medical care without having to abandon my boat or rupture my appendix in the process. Even if I need surgery later, no big deal.



The take away - offshore sailors should explore the option of carrying the necessary drugs and gaining basic medical training to treat acute appendicitis using antibiotics.