Man Exhibited Signs Of Stroke 50 Miles Off Oahu

A man experiencing symptoms of a stroke was medevaced from the cruise ship Zaandam about 50 miles off the coast of Oahu on November 26.

Watchstanders at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a notification from the senior doctor on board the Zaandam, about 330 miles northeast of Oahu, who requested a medevac for a 32-year-old man experiencing symptoms of a stroke.

The watchstanders consulted with the flight surgeon on duty who recommended a medevac.

Crews in an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and HC-130 Hercules flew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point and rendezvoused with the Zaandam about 50 miles east of Kaneohe, Hawaii.

The Dolphin crew hoisted the ailing man and a nurse from the Zaandam, who provided inflight care to the man. The crew transported the man to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu and was reported to be in stable condition.

Coast Guard video showed the crewman being lowered to the ship’s deck. The patient was then hoisted up to the helicopter, followed by the Zaandam’s nurse and the Dolphin’s crewman.

The Coast Guard’s 14th District covers activities in Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianan Islands, American Samoa, and also activities in Singapore and Japan. The district is based in Honolulu and consists of Sector Hawaii and Sector Guam.

FMI:  www.news.uscg.mil/