Coast Guard medevacs ailing cruise ship passenger

SAN DIEGO -- An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Sector San Diego medically evacuated a cruise ship passenger 100 miles south of San Diego Saturday evening.

At 12:45 p.m., the crew of the cruise ship Mariner of the Sea notified the Coast Guard that the 85-year-old man was experiencing trouble breathing and other symptoms. A Coast Guard flight surgeon contacted medical staff aboard the cruise ship and determined that the man’s condition was stable and the ship should continue north.

At 4:30 p.m., the man’s condition worsened and it was determined that a medevac was necessary.

The helicopter launched from Sector San Diego and arrived on scene with the cruise ship 100 miles south of San Diego at approximately 7 p.m.

The helicopter crew hoisted the patient and a nurse from the cruise ship. During transit the man experienced cardiac arrest symptoms and became unresponsive. The nurse and Coast Guard rescue swimmer performed CPR for the duration of the flight.

The patient and nurse were transferred to medical personnel at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., just after 8 p.m.

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