Medicine at the top of the world  by jakedai | January 22, 2007
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larger image  uploaded by jakedai  Medicine at the top of the
world  Jan 4th 2007  From The Economist print edition  An
expedition to Everest may improve the chances of people in
intensive care  LYING in an intensive-care ward is a world away
from climbing Everest, but a connection will be drawn this
spring when 45 scientists and 208 volunteers tackle the mountain
to bring back information about oxygen deprivation. The reason
they are going is that hypoxia (a lack of oxygen in cells, which
can lead to death) is the one thing that links practically all
patients in intensive-care wards—and there is no better place to
study it than in the thin air of the world's highest mountain.
AP How they used to do it  Hypoxia in hospital patients has
various causes, from circulation problems to metabolism
difficulties. It requires invasive and aggressive treatment. The
patient is artificially venti