The circumstances behind this death are questionable at best. I feel for their family. Here is the link.
mediterranean cruise ship death

One thing that stood out in this story to me was at the end it says he had a history of heart trouble. Did the wife disclose that at any time to the medical staff?

If I thought I was being blown off by the medical staff I'd ask to see the Captain. I wonder if she did that?

It is a sad situation.
I think when people are in a panic state they forget some of the details during the event.
Thing happen in minutes but in a stressed state it seems like hours.
If he was vomiting etc..it would sound like Noro-virus common on ships & maybe they were treating as such.
Having a heart condition then getting sick like that can cause your heart stress.

People on vacation seem to forget & overindulge in rich food & drink more than they would at home.

Not trying to absolve the cruise line but you also have to look at the big picture.

Last year we had 3 medical emergencies on our cruise with 2 deaths resulting
They were transfered ashore 1 died enroute to hospital.
She had kidney disease before the trip which took a turn for the worse
I am surprised that he was not sent to a hospital on shore.

That's a terrible, terrible situation. I don't understand why they didn't seek care in port. I feel relatively sure that they felt it was nothing more than the norovirus. Lyn is right, people on a cruise eat and drink things they shouldn't. A pre-existing heart condition would not have been common knowledge to the medical staff unless his wife told them, which I don't know if she did. I think I would have taken him to a hospital in port, especially if he was turning colors. But if he hadn't been responding to the medication, I would have taken him to a hospital for a second opinion anyway. I am so sorry this happened and pray it won't again. My thoughts and prayers to all involved.

quote:

I would have taken him to a hospital for a second opinion anyway

Looking at the itinerary they certainly had some good hospital options, with stops in Rome, Naples, Seville, Monaco, Marseille, Barcelona, and Lisbon.

The end of the story also stood out to me with all the advice on what to do in preparing for a cruise if you have an existing medical condition. Bring your medical records, dosages for all prescriptions, any drug allergies and have proper travel insurance that will cover evac if needed. It points out that all forms of coverage are not the same. I don't know if any of this would have prevented this tragedy as it does appear that mis-diagnosis by the ship medical team may have contributed. The symptoms mirrored noro-virus which is more common than the long term conditions this man obviously had. Whether the staff knew is not obvious in the story. If they didn't, they should have been informed. The wife certainly knew and should have suspected, as it appears she did, that something far more serious than a virus was possible as his condition deteriorated. I agree that if there were such concerns, seeking medical care at a hospital would have been the prudent thing to do. You never know the reasons why people don't do the thing that in hind sight becomes obvious. Perhaps they thought he'd get better and didn't want to go to the expense and trouble of hospitalization and hotels, flights home, etc. Proper insurance coverage would have relieved the anxiety about the extra cost of medical care, flights, evac if needed or wanted. I don't know if these concerns are the reason for inaction to more pro-actively resolve this but its possible.

Incorrect diagnosis is possible at a hospital as well as on a ship. At least in a hospital you won't be quarantined to your cabin, where care and equipment is possibly a long way from you.

This brings back to mind the infant that was ill and referred to a hospital only to have the ship and staff again criticized for "Kicking a family off a ship". They incurred expenses for passports, flights, medical care and missed the rest of their cruise. The outcome was quite different, the infant is now fine. This gentleman could have benefitted from being "Kicked off the ship" and sent to a hospital for proper care. Either way, the cruise line will be the target of criticism. If they refer you to a hospital, they cost you the rest of your cruise and add'l expenses. If they keep you onboard and something tragic happens, they were lax in their judgement. The outcome seems to dictate how and to what degree they'll come under fire.

Cheers, Neil

You're right Neil. If I remember correctly though, the cruise line helped the family they "kicked off" with some of the expenses. Either way, the cruise line will be blamed. Please all, make sure you have travel insurance and passports!