British Doctors To Scale Everest For Intensive Care Breakthrough

What's the similarity between high altitude climbing and intensive care? A great deal, according to a team of extreme athletes who also happen to be qualified physicians and scientists. Next spring, they will conduct experiments at high altitude and at Everest's summit - such as blood oxygen readings and brain function tests - that will be brought back ultimately to the bedsides of critically ill patients.



Many in the team are based at the Institute of Human Health and Performance at University College London and are members of the Centre for Aviation, Space and Extreme Environment Medicine, (CASE Medicine) where the team leader, Dr Mike Grocott and his fellow medics conceived the idea for the 'world first' expedition.



Expedition research leader, Dr Hugh Montgomery, who today (June 6) talks at the Knowledge Two conference at The Institute of Electrical Engineers, London said, "At the 8,850m summit of Everest, there's so little oxygen getting into the lungs that the body quickly starts shutting down and mountaineers risk slipping into a coma. These extreme conditions mimic what it's like for patients in intensive care and studying the human body in this environment will teach us invaluable lessons in the science of survival.



"One in six Britons will spend time in an Intensive Care Unit and, shocking as it may sound, statistics show that up to three in ten people admitted do not pull through, causing devastation to families.



"We know that mountaineers survive on low oxygen levels that would take the lives of intensive care patients in a matter of minutes. Our Everest ascent will involve creating the world's highest medical laboratory, taking field science to a new level."



Dr Montgomery's genetic work has identified a gene associated with improved performance at high altitude and subsequently demonstrated that the same gene was associated with improved outcome in a variety of conditions found on intensive care units, including the severe lung disease, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).



Peak practice



While any Everest expedition has risks, the team of climbers have a wealth of extreme sports experience at their disposal. Dr Montgomery, aged 45 from Southampton is a qualified skydiver who also dived in the Solent to help raise Henry VIII's sunken Mary Rose. Climbing leader Dr Sundeep Dhillon, aged 36 from London in 1998 became the youngest person in the world to conquer the Seven Summits. Dr Kevin Fong, aged 35 from London specialises in the medical conditions experienced by astronauts while Dr Denny Levett, aged 35 from Kent is a qualified Divemaster. Dr Levett is married to the expedition leader, Dr Mike Grocott, aged 40, from Manchester.



Dr Grocott lectures in high altitude physiology and is a Consultant Intensive Care Physician.



He said, "If we chose to, we could simulate our experiments in a special laboratory but this would in fact cost a lot more than going to Everest and the results would be no more accurate.



"Low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in the blood and cells are a critical factor in Intensive Care patients. The summit of Everest is by extraordinary coincidence exactly at the limit of human tolerance for hypoxia. For many years, doctors and scientists believed that it would be impossible to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen. In 1978 Reinhold Messner proved them wrong and since then more than 100 individuals have ascended the mountain without supplemental oxygen. It is clear that were the mountain even a few meters higher this would be impossible. The summit of Everest is a wonderful natural laboratory for the study of the effects of critical hypoxia in humans."



The physicians hope that their findings will result in better intensive care recovery rates throughout Britain and the rest of the world plus increased quality of life for people with conditions ranging from Cystic Fibrosis to severe infections and lung disease.



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The team, that is currently seeking sponsors, leaves for Everest in March 2007. They will climb the South Col route.



Extensive trials are being conducted in advance of the Everest expedition. In July they will train in the Alps and in September will become further prepared on Cho Oyu, the world's sixth highest peak.



Dr Mike Grocott is also a co-director for CASE - the Centre for Aviation, Space and Extreme Environment Medicine based at the Institute of Human Health and Performance, Ground Floor, Charterhouse Building, Archway Campus, Highgate Hill, London N19 5LW, Tel: +44 (0)20 7323 9911, email: infoxtreme-everest

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