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Comment by joe_lin | Hacker News Reader

What happens if someone has a true medical emergency? Like heart attack or burst appendix? Are they stranded?

I feel like this fear would be lingering over me the entire time.

Well, yes. There's the famous case of when a station's only doctor had appendicitis so he removed his own [1], and another who had to do her own cancer biopsy and chemotherapy [2]. The equations may be simple but they are still very cold.

[1] Leonid Rogozov, 1961. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32481442

[2] Jerri Nielsen, 1998. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerri_Nielsen

Usually in such outcast places they have a room equipped for light surgery and some emergency procedures. You won't receive the same level of care that you would have in a proper hospital, but they should be able to at least do some "temporary fix" while transportation to a proper hospital is arranged if needed. Appendectomy shouldn't be a problem.

>but they should be able to at least do some "temporary fix" while transportation to a proper hospital is arranged if needed.

I believe the person you're responding to is moreso asking what would happen if it was during the months where no inbound or outbound transportation is possible.

You could cut it out yourself [1]

But I've read that doctors do need to have their appendix removed, but not other people. I can't find a source on that, however.

[1]: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32481442

Probably not if it burst!

> It was not an easy choice. Rogozov knew his appendix could burst and if that happened, it would almost certainly kill him - and while he considered his options, his symptoms got worse.

(From your link.)

That's why in Villas Las Estrellas they require residents to have their appendix to be removed: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180810-villas-las-estre...

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