Arterial Blood Gases and Oxygen Content in Climbers on Mount Everest

Arterial blood gases and oxygen content in climbers on Mount Everest.

BACKGROUND The level of environmental hypobaric hypoxia that affects climbers at the summit of Mount Everest (8848 m [29,029 ft]) is close to the limit of tolerance by humans. We performed direct field measurements of arterial blood gases in climbers breathing ambient air on Mount Everest. METHODS We obtained samples of arterial blood from 10 climbers during their ascent to and descent from t...

Climbing Mount Everest Without Oxygen

The ascent of Mount Everest (altitude 8,848 m) by two climbers without supplementary oxygen in 1978 was a feat that astonished many physiologists; indeed, measurements of maximal oxygen uptake at lower altitudes suggested that it would be impossible. Data obtained in 1981 at extreme altitudes, including the summit itself, showed that man can tolerate the extreme hypoxia only by an enormous incr...

The physiologic cipher at altitude: telemedicine and real-time monitoring of climbers on Mount Everest.

Advanced wearable biosensors for vital-signs monitoring (physiologic cipher) are available to improve quality of healthcare in hospital, nursing home, and remote environments. The objective of this study was to determine reliability of vital-signs monitoring systems in extreme environments. Three climbers were monitored 24 hours while climbing through Khumbu Icefall. Data were transmitted to Ev...

Mental Strategies of Elite High Altitude Climbers: Overcoming Adversity on Mount Everest

Pulmonary gas exchange on Mount Everest.

The paper by PEACOCK and JONES [1], "Gas Exchange at Extreme Altitude: Results from the British 40th Anniversary Expedition", presented in this issue of the Journal, reports fascinating new data recorded at extreme altitudes (up to 8,000 m) on Mount Everest. Among the interesting findings, was the fact that, on the South Col (altitude 8000 m), alveolar oxygen tension (PA,O2) (measured with a fu...