BOSTON — Coast Guard rescue crews medically evacuated a man with symptoms of renal and heart failure 180 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts Saturday.
Watchstanders at the 1st District Command Center received a call via satellite phone at 12:00 p.m. stating a 39-year-old man needed medical attention aboard the 992-foot Bermuda flagged Cunard-Line cruise ship Queen Mary II.
A conference call between the Coast Guard flight surgeon and the ship's doctor determined that a MH-60 Jayhawk crew was the best option for an evacuation.
The Jayhawk crew launched from Air Station Cape Cod with plans to meet the cruise ship near Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Making its best speed, the cruise ship steamed towards Nantucket to lessen the distance for the helicopter crew.
At approximately 3:00 p.m. the man was safely hoisted and brought to Tuft's Medical Center in Sommerville, Massachusetts.
"Working together with the cruise ship and their medical staff made all the difference in getting this man care as soon as possible," said Petty Officer Nichole Cook, the operations unit coordinator at the 1st Coast Guard District in Boston. "They had a nurse from the ship accompany our rescue crews to provide medical support on the way."
Every year the 1st Coast Guard District assists in saving 3,300 lives.