Medical Director's Desk 

Another season is already upon us and the usual rush to be ready is underway. There is always so much to do at the last minute that sometimes it seems the boat will never be ready. At Ocean Medical International we try to help you as much as we can by letting you know when you need to review and update your medical supplies. For boats that have Mediterranean and Caribbean seasons these reviews should be before the start of each season, for other boats an annual review may suffice.

This Newsletter has information about our new and improved defibrillator package, which, surprisingly in this day and age, is significantly cheaper than previously.

Also, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Kross Cardell as our

Sales Manager for France. Based in Cannes, Kross has a solid background in yachting and sales and will be providing the same top quality service you have come to expect from us for our clients in France. For contact details (and a photo of Kross!) please read on.

Dr Ian Marshall

Medical Director

• New Membership - BMF & Superyacht UK

We are proud to announce that we have recently become members to the British Marine Federation and the Superyacht UK Assocaition.

The British Marine Federation is the trade association for the UK's boating industry and The Superyacht UK Assocaition is a group dedicated to quality, service, technical excellence and worldwide success in the Superyacht field.

Introducing our new defibrillator package at a new reduced price. Now packaged in a bright orange waterproof pelican case, with a complete training aid packet which includes adult training electrode pads, training manual and CD-rom. For full details visit; http://www.oceanmedicalinternational.com/me_defib.htm

Upgrades to include the pelican case and training packet are also available.

Oxygen at Sea

Oxygen is essential for life, without it we die. At a cellular level oxygen is involved in the production of energy from glucose, in a reaction that produces carbon dioxide for removal from the body in the lungs in exhaled breath. At the same time oxygen is extracted from inhaled air in the lungs. The oxygen is attached to haemoglobin molecules in red blood cells. Oxygen rich blood is returned to the heart from where it is pumped to all the tissues of the body, and the cycle of life continues.

Many medical problems can affect the process of oxygen distribution to the tissues. Cardiac, respiratory and neurological disorders may interfere with oxygenation of the body, as will blood loss, exposure to smoke or toxins and severe infections. Anyone suffering from these problems will benefit from being given oxygen.

The MCA regulations for carriage of oxygen onboard are applicable to Class A and Class B vessels. In my view the regulations for oxygen are inadequate stating only that an oxygen reservoir with a regulator capable of delivering 4 litres of oxygen per minute through a mask is required. The actual amount or volume of oxygen to be carried is not defined. I often see grossly inadequate oxygen supplies on many of the boats I deal with. Some of the oxygen systems are so small and inadequate that they are only capable of delivering oxygen for 20 to 30 minutes before running out.

It is possible, to give too much oxygen to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which depress the drive to breathe and cause respiratory failure. For this reason, there should be an oxygen system in place on boats whereby the actual amount of oxygen being delivered to the patient is known, and for this a variable flow mask is needed. In my view this should be a requirement of the MCA regulations.

When giving oxygen to a casualty, if there is any concern that chronic lung disease may be present, always start with the lowest flow of oxygen and increase slowly while monitoring the patient’s general condition and response to the oxygen through measurement of respiratory rate and effort. 

A fuller version of this article can be found in the May edition of The Islander at www.theislander.net

The month of May marks the opening of our new offices in the South of France.  Based near Antibes and Cannes, Kross Cardell formerly of Blue Ocean Yacht management, will be managing sales in the region.  Kross will be avaialble to meet you at Seas 2005 and can be reached at

T: +33 (0) 615 490 867, F: +33 (0) 493 648 636

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