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Acute abdominal pain during an Antarctic cruise — a case report
open access
Abstract
A 21-year-old female crew member experienced a number of medical conditions during a summer cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula. At one point symptoms and signs strongly suggested acute appendicitis. She was monitored and treated conservatively on board and recovered uneventfully without surgery. Later she had a biliary colic attack and then an allergic reaction to the pain medication given. The pre-employment medical fitness certificate cannot always be trusted regarding previous history of allergies and medical conditions.
Abstract
A 21-year-old female crew member experienced a number of medical conditions during a summer cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula. At one point symptoms and signs strongly suggested acute appendicitis. She was monitored and treated conservatively on board and recovered uneventfully without surgery. Later she had a biliary colic attack and then an allergic reaction to the pain medication given. The pre-employment medical fitness certificate cannot always be trusted regarding previous history of allergies and medical conditions.
Keywords
acute appendicitis; conservative treatment; cruise medicine; pre-employment medical examination


Title
Acute abdominal pain during an Antarctic cruise — a case report
Journal
Issue
Pages
102-105
Published online
2012-09-03
Page views
542
Article views/downloads
2596
Bibliographic record
IMH 2012;63(2):102-105.
Keywords
acute appendicitis
conservative treatment
cruise medicine
pre-employment medical examination
Authors
Eilif Dahl