A timely intervention, coordinated between the Coast Guard and 118, allowed the rescue of a passenger who had been struck by illness on board the Tirrenia ship, sailing 40 miles from Ustica, headed to Palermo from Napoli.
The emergency started at 2:30 am, when the alarm was raised from the ship to the Port Authority for a man with suspicious chest pain. The operation in the open sea, characterized by difficult conditions, was tackled by Joseph Menzo, 118 nurse, and the doctor Liliana Daughter, who reached the ship thanks to a patrol boat of the Coast Guard.
“The sea was rough and the operation was anything but simple. – says Menzo, 118 operator in the Palermo-Trapani basin and member of Fp Cgil Palermo – but we relied on the great skill of the Coast Guard agents." Once picked up from the ship, the passenger was transferred to the patrol boat, where the medical team immediately performed an electrocardiogram and administered the necessary therapy. “Fortunately, the suspected heart attack was ruled out thanks to the echocardiogram. – explains Menzo – The patient, who was able to walk, was then taken to Palermo and transferred by ambulance to the hospital Buccheri La Ferla".
Menzo underlined the exceptional nature of the intervention: “118 operates with air and sea services on inflatable boats, but the ship did not have space for a helicopter to land. We therefore had to reach the patient by sea. It was an emotional experience, which brought to mind a project from 2016, when I participated in first aid missions for migrants aboard the Coast Guard shuttles in Lampedusa”.
Article published on 21 January 2025 - 12:35
