2 To reach an estimate about the compliance of ship owners with the requirement to carry an AED on board during the phase-in period from 2007 to 2012, the Ship Sanitation Committee of German Federal States questioned member states on their experience during the annual certification of the medical chests. It was found that 21% of German merchant vessels were equipped with an AED by the end of 2009 (M. Oldenburg, MD, unpublished data,

2010).3 However, it was observed that frequently the crew was not properly instructed in the handling of AEDs, that the devices were not mounted properly but locked in the ship’s infirmary, often even unwrapped, and that the location of the AEDs was not indicated by appropriate signs. As a consequence, a guideline for further specifications was published by the committee in 2009.4 The AED is part of the medical chest carried on board a ship for use while www.selleckchem.com/products/ganetespib-sta-9090.html at sea. The chest forms an essential part of the arrangements for managing any medical emergencies from ill-health or injury that may arise when the ship is distant from shore-based health care facilities. The other elements of these arrangements are The training provided for officers in medical first aid All these requirements are international instruments that maritime states are required to comply with through their own legislation and inspection regimes.5 It is

recognized that timely diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular 3-MA ic50 diseases of travelers at sea is critical for survival.6–8 On most merchant ships, a medical doctor is not available. Instead, the ship master is responsible for medical Astemizole care on board. He commonly delegates this task to the nautical officer on board who will consult the telemedical center if needed.9,10 Thus, the survival of sailors with cardiac arrest at sea also depends on the medical training of the nautical officers on board. Minimum requirements for the seafarers’ education are defined in the Standards of Training,

Certification, and Watchkeeping Convention 1995.11 In Germany, nautical students have to attend a compulsory comprehensive medical training over 4 weeks; subsequently, the nautical officers are obliged to attend medical refresher courses every 5 years.1 The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of training ship officers in the handling of AEDs and to explore their perceptions concerning their user-friendliness. The results of the study are meant to support decision making for ship owners 1 year before the phase-in period of the German regulation ends, and AEDs are obligatory for all merchant ships under German flag. The Hamburg Port Health Centre offers medical refresher courses for seafarers on a regular basis. From 2004 to 2007, the use of four commercially available AEDs was tested during 14 refresher courses (courses with 8–16 participants). All the seafarers without preexisting training and experience in the use of AEDs (130) participated in the study.