Before you head to Australian Antarctic Stations for a cold, long winter in isolation, you have a number of things to do.
And, if you’re a doctor, that checklist includes something a little more – or rather, less: Appendix. All doctors who winter at these stations are required to perform an appendectomy. Once the cold weather arrives, it becomes necessary. It is very difficultGet you out.
All others are allowed to keep their small organs intact. For doctors, however, the small organ must be removed.
“This is due to the fact that there is only usually one doctor on duty during winter.” A post that is readThe Australian Antarctic Program’s website. “Evacuation to medical care is not possible for at least a part of the year.”
Appendicitis, or inflammation of the small organ that is attached to your large intestinal tract. The condition is not fatal, but is common. It affects approximately Five to nine people out of 100 are affected.The US
When appendicitis strikes, it can be severe. It’s sudden and it can get worse within hours. Appendicitis can be treated surgically before it bursts and causes a potentially fatal infection. Peritonitis.
Most expeditioners in Antarctica have access to a doctor in case of appendicitis. This was the case in the dramatic case of Heard Island Station Cook Jack StarrOtto Rec, a doctor, performed the operation in October of 1951. When the doctor themselves is ill, it can make things more difficult.
What are the odds? “What are the odds?” You may be wondering. This is high enough to have happened twice.
In July 1950, during the dead of Antarctic winter, Dr. Rec was the first to perform the surgery. Dr Udovikoff’s replacement(I was well prepared for this occasion).
Dr Udovikoff according to News reports from the time, was considering operating on himself – a nerve-wracking notion, since no doctor had been known at the time to have successfully performed an appendectomy on themself.
In the end, he did not need to. Australian navy vessel HMAS Australia (II)The ambulance was sent to remove the patient. The situation was not good for any of the parties involved.
“Apart form the discomfort caused by the gale force wind gusts of up to 65 knots and the sleet snow and hail the ship also experienced difficulties with the feed water because there was an increase in plankton on the sea,” Reads an entryOn the Naval Historical Society of Australia’s website.
The only use of the ship’s water allowed was for drinking and tooth cleaning. No one was allowed to bathe. The weather conditions were not better when Australia “(II) arrived on Heard Island. When a reasonable break happened, the cutter was lowered. Dr Udovikoff was eventually brought aboard for the trip to Fremantle.”
The appendectomy was required. Other nations, however, did not follow suit. In April 1961, the American Medical Association published a statement that stated, “The appendectomy requirement is now mandatory for all Americans.” Leonid RogozovStationed at NovolazarevskayaThe rescue operation on the continent of Antarctica was not successful.
On April 29, he self-diagnosed appendicitis. There were other stations within easy reach, but none of them had an air ambulance. A blizzard was raging outside on April 30 as he began recognizing the signs of peritonitis.
Rogozov had no option but to perform an appendectomy on his own, as he was the only medical staff at the hospital at the time. He began his appendectomy with the help of two assistants and local anesthetic. The first incision took place at 22:15 Moscow time.
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It was sometimes necessary to work by feeling, but other times I needed to use my head. In a 1962 article, he remembered.Then, you can get in touch with us. Soviet Antarctic Expedition Information Bulletin.
“General weakness became severe after 30–40 min, and vertigo developed, so that short pauses for rest were necessary. After the severe diseased vermiform apex was removed (a 2 x2 cm perforation at its base was discovered), antibiotics were administered into the peritoneal space, and the wound tightly sutured. “The operation was completed by midnight, on April 30, 2019.”
Rogozov had a lucky break: he resumed his duties in a fortnight and lived decades longer. He died in 2000.
This is not a story that you will want to repeat. Medical checksThe requirements have now been updated Standard, but not quite standardAntarctic deployments
