behind the scenes of the CCMM, the Sea Samu
The pink city is the center of the world for French yachtsmen in distress. In Toulouse, all calls from French or French-speaking sailors, in the event of a medical emergency, land in one of the buildings of the Purpan hospital, at Maritime Medical Consultation Center (CCMM). A sort of Samu of the sea, where more than 6,000 calls are handled each year and whose doors RTL has been able to push open.
That day, the healthcare nurse on a ferry located several hours from the Mediterranean coast called the center after calling a doctor during the night. UN passenger suffered a heart attack, she therefore followed the advice and protocol of the doctor on duty in Toulouse. “I gradually reduced the oxygen supply, it will now be an hour, he just feels tired,” she says, while welcoming the collaboration with the CCMM, which saved this patient.
If it is a colleague this time, everything goes equally well when they fuss with captains or commanders. “These are relationships that are very attentive, with people who take their responsibilities. Frankly, at this level, it’s really great work”, explains Patrick Roux, head of the CCMM.
Results comparable to the intervention of a doctor
In the vast majority of cases, the intervention of this Samu de la mer makes it possible to avoid having to resort to outside help. “80% of the situations we have to deal with end up being taken care of on board ships through the skills of the care managers who have received training”, continues the doctor. By regulation, the latter are also forced to have “a medical staffing, which makes it possible to put in place a therapeutic strategy”.
The center is also managing the coronavirus crisis. Again this week, four clusters were detected on French ships. Among the most regular interventions, trauma, again with gestures guided remotely by doctors, such as placing stitches or even reducing a dislocated shoulder. “When the patient is three days away from a port, we will have to help the captain, who has not been trained in this, to teach him the maneuver and this is also the interest of this activity: indicate that despite the absence of a doctor, we may be able to achieve almost comparable results“, says Patrick Roux.
For the most serious cases, external help can be decided, in particular the dispatch of a helicopter or the support of another boat. However, these devices take much longer.
The importance of first aid training
Summer is a particularly busy period for the Samu de la mer. During this period, maritime passenger transport is on the rise. According to Doctor Patrick Roux,the increase in activity is manifested around 30%“, with the ferries that link the Metropolis to Corsica or other countries.
The activity of boaters is also up sharply with the favorable weather conditions since the beginning of the summer. This public is much more fragile, because it is not often trained in first aid gestures. Patrick Roux then advises to have “a minimum of notions of first aidbeing able to do a compression bandage or cardiac massage for example, because that is what will save people”. “If the first aid is bad or not done before professional help can arrive, determine will go much less well”, he warns.
This year the CCMM of Toulouse will probably beat its attendance recordand participate in saving many lives on the seas and oceans of the whole planet.