3 ms·

So no need to have appendixes removed prior to being stationed in Antarctica anymore?

shoo 8y ago
i think this is for the scenario where you have uncomplicated acute appendicitis that can be treated in time. there can still be scenarios where you developed acute appendicitis, it isn't treated in time (by either surgery or antibiotics), it perforates, possibly causing "infection of the lining of the abdominal cavity" so i'd guess that removing the thing before there are any symptoms would still reduce risk, although maybe the cost-benefit tradeoff is a bit less clear.
xbmcuser 8y ago
Wait is that a requirement?
- TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
  From the Australian Government - Department of the Environment and Energy, Australian Antarctic Division: The answer is no, however doctors who are wintering at Australian Antarctic stations are required to have their appendix removed. This is because there is usually only one doctor on station during winter, and evacuation back to medical care in Australia is impossible for at least part of the year. The requirement dates from the 1950s, when an Australian Antarctic doctor developed appendicitis on Heard Island and required a very challenging evacuation back to Australia. In 1961 a Russian doctor successfully removed his own appendix at Novolazarevskaya station in Antarctica. With no outside help possible, he used local anaesthetic and had two expeditioners assist with surgical retractors and a mirror so that he could see what he was doing. The operation was a success and the doctor was back on duty within two weeks. It's not a situation that Australian Antarctic doctors would like to find themselves in! As part of their overall medical review, all expeditioners are required to have a dental check before they depart for Antarctica within six months of their departure date. There is no requirement for expeditioners to have their wisdom teeth removed unless the dentist identifies that they may cause a problem over winter. The station doctor has eight days of training in emergency dentistry as part of their preparation, but this does not include wisdom teeth extraction. http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/people-in-antarctica/health http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/people-in-anta...
  - fouc 8y ago
    I wonder if this implies the incidence of appendicitis is higher when living in the Antarctica. Perhaps something about the living conditions is more likely to trigger appendicitis.
  - clear_dg 8y ago
    The self-surgery bit is definitely incredible. The doctor was Leonid Rogozov (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Rogozov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Rogozov). More info with photos here: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/leonid-rogozov-appendix-1961/ https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/leonid-rogozov-appendix-196...
  - chippy 8y ago
    Evacuation in winter is possible, the Americans do it if there is a real emergency - it's just that it's very very expensive (even for the US). Because it's possible but expensive, all the non-US bases treat it as prohibitive and effectively not to be counted on.
    - seszett 8y ago
      It's only possible in some places, for example Kerguelen island has no airstrip, the closest airstrip being on Réunion island 3000km away (Davis station on the Antarctic continent is closer, 2000km, but does not have a permanent airstrip). No helicopter in the world has such a range, so the only means of evacuating is by ship, with the fastest ships in the area taking minimum 3 days to make the trip. If a navy ship is around, it could probably treat the emergency on board but most others will have to get back to Réunion first. In the likely event that no ship from the French navy is around, the fastest means of evacuating will be requisitioning a nearby fishing ship but those will probably not make it to Réunion until at least one week. Fortunately, the relative emergencies (but not life threatening) I have witnessed have always happened when a ship was already on its way for other reasons, but US or not there are real technical impossibilities in these places.
      - fulafel 8y ago
- M_Bakhtiari 8y ago
  Of course not, that's utter nonsense.
  - dna_polymerase 8y ago
    Only the madman is absolutely sure.
- peteretep 8y ago
  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-6167801/The-Antarctic-settlement-having-appendix-BANNED.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-61678... Apologies for the source, but I remember reading the same thing in a better source too.

shoo 8y ago

i think this is for the scenario where you have uncomplicated acute appendicitis that can be treated in time. there can still be scenarios where you developed acute appendicitis, it isn't treated in time (by either surgery or antibiotics), it perforates, possibly causing "infection of the lining of the abdominal cavity" so i'd guess that removing the thing before there are any symptoms would still reduce risk, although maybe the cost-benefit tradeoff is a bit less clear.

xbmcuser 8y ago

Wait is that a requirement?

TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
From the Australian Government - Department of the Environment and Energy, Australian Antarctic Division: The answer is no, however doctors who are wintering at Australian Antarctic stations are required to have their appendix removed. This is because there is usually only one doctor on station during winter, and evacuation back to medical care in Australia is impossible for at least part of the year. The requirement dates from the 1950s, when an Australian Antarctic doctor developed appendicitis on Heard Island and required a very challenging evacuation back to Australia. In 1961 a Russian doctor successfully removed his own appendix at Novolazarevskaya station in Antarctica. With no outside help possible, he used local anaesthetic and had two expeditioners assist with surgical retractors and a mirror so that he could see what he was doing. The operation was a success and the doctor was back on duty within two weeks. It's not a situation that Australian Antarctic doctors would like to find themselves in! As part of their overall medical review, all expeditioners are required to have a dental check before they depart for Antarctica within six months of their departure date. There is no requirement for expeditioners to have their wisdom teeth removed unless the dentist identifies that they may cause a problem over winter. The station doctor has eight days of training in emergency dentistry as part of their preparation, but this does not include wisdom teeth extraction. http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/people-in-antarctica/health http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/people-in-anta...
- fouc 8y ago
  I wonder if this implies the incidence of appendicitis is higher when living in the Antarctica. Perhaps something about the living conditions is more likely to trigger appendicitis.
- clear_dg 8y ago
  The self-surgery bit is definitely incredible. The doctor was Leonid Rogozov (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Rogozov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Rogozov). More info with photos here: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/leonid-rogozov-appendix-1961/ https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/leonid-rogozov-appendix-196...
- chippy 8y ago
  Evacuation in winter is possible, the Americans do it if there is a real emergency - it's just that it's very very expensive (even for the US). Because it's possible but expensive, all the non-US bases treat it as prohibitive and effectively not to be counted on.
  - seszett 8y ago
    It's only possible in some places, for example Kerguelen island has no airstrip, the closest airstrip being on Réunion island 3000km away (Davis station on the Antarctic continent is closer, 2000km, but does not have a permanent airstrip). No helicopter in the world has such a range, so the only means of evacuating is by ship, with the fastest ships in the area taking minimum 3 days to make the trip. If a navy ship is around, it could probably treat the emergency on board but most others will have to get back to Réunion first. In the likely event that no ship from the French navy is around, the fastest means of evacuating will be requisitioning a nearby fishing ship but those will probably not make it to Réunion until at least one week. Fortunately, the relative emergencies (but not life threatening) I have witnessed have always happened when a ship was already on its way for other reasons, but US or not there are real technical impossibilities in these places.
    - fulafel 8y ago
M_Bakhtiari 8y ago
Of course not, that's utter nonsense.
- dna_polymerase 8y ago
  Only the madman is absolutely sure.
peteretep 8y ago
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-6167801/The-Antarctic-settlement-having-appendix-BANNED.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-61678... Apologies for the source, but I remember reading the same thing in a better source too.