AS I LIMPED aboard the cruise ship, my left calf felt as it did when I had a blood clot nine years before. I became terrified that I could die of deep vein thrombosis in the Mediterranean Sea. So I found the ship doctor, who ran tests and diagnosed my condition as a pulled muscle.

Turns out ship doctors are well prepared for such situations. The American College of Emergency Physicians recommends ships have a laboratory, X-ray machine, cardiac monitor and defibrillator, electrocardiograph, ventilator/respirator, infusion pumps and pharmacy—and keen medical knowledge.

Says Ibrain Soto, M.D., who works on Crystal Serenity: “We are familiar with the management of conditions of patients in advanced age groups.”
—Jill Schildhouse