Hi there
More news on a forthcoming BBC programme which I thought some of you might be interested in.
This Sunday (23 September + 30 September, 8pm GMT)Horizon treks to the top of the world on a unique scientific expedition to Everest which could revolutionise the treatment of patients in intensive care.
In a special two-part documentary, cameras follow an extraordinary team of climbing doctors who risk their own lives in the most hostile environment on Earth in an attempt to rewrite our understanding of the human body.
The Caudwell Xtreme Everest Expedition is one of the largest ever to come to the Himalayas. Joining the 60 doctors and scientists are more than 200 volunteers who trek to Everest Base Camp to undergo a barrage of tests to see how different people adapt to a lack of oxygen at high altitude.
The doctors hope the research will offer new insight into the care of critically ill patients. Sixteen per cent of the UK population will be admitted to intensive care at some point in their lives and 25,000 people die there each year – many as a result of low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, rather than their illnesses or injuries.
By attempting to summit Everest – over 8,000m high and known as the “death zone” – the doctors will develop potentially fatally low oxygen levels. But, by discovering how their own cells adapt at altitude to use the limited oxygen more efficiently, they could save many lives.
From their tented laboratories pitched beside ice falls in minus 25 degree temperatures, the doctors push their bodies to the limit by cycling till exhaustion point on an exercise bike, taking painful blood and tissue samples from each other and making numerous detailed measurements.
The expedition is a unique opportunity to make scientific history and experience the ultimate in mountaineering. But in the death zone the greatest challenge is just staying alive.
The programme mixes stunning photography with excellent science.
More about the programme can be found here: www.bbc.co.uk/horizon
I’ll keep posting more BBC science programmes on here if you’re interested!
