Medical history on Mount Everest

The tent to house "the world's highest medical experiment"

Among the models of space craft and steam engines, visitors to the Science Museum in London will find a big green tent and an exercise bike.

The equipment will be part of the world's highest medical laboratory, say the team who will take it with them when they scale Mount Everest next Spring.

The Xtreme Everest team will include health experts and a band of volunteers, who will carry out experiments on themselves while they climb up the mountain.

The data will be used to measure the effect of low oxygen levels on the body. The team hopes this will help people with medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and babies in incubators.

'History in the making'

Kay Mitchell, an intensive care nurse on the team and project manager for the expedition, believes the results will be "history in the making".

"Taking part in this expedition is something that will still be talked about in the next 20 to 30 years," she said.

"Some of the results we will obtain will be in medical textbooks for several decades to come."

Mike Grocott and Kay Mitchell demonstrate their equipment

Miss Mitchell said: "The levels of oxygen in the blood when we will be on Everest will be similar to those levels if you were in intensive care.

"We will be conducting several tests like measuring cardiovascular levels when people use an exercise bike at various heights up the mountain, together with measuring oxygen levels in the body and brain.

"We will use the results to find out why some people can use oxygen more efficiently to help patients in intensive care use their oxygen levels better."

Equipment demonstration

Dr Mike Grocott, the team leader, puffed away on the exercise bike to show what volunteers would be expected to do.

After the demonstration he explained the importance of the trip.

It will not be the easiest trip in the world, so you must be reasonably fit but you do not have to be superman Kay Mitchell Intensive care nurse

He said: "The problem we have with examining intensive care patients is that they have so many other complications going on, like recovering from major surgery or heart attacks.

"This makes it very hard to separate the effect of low oxygen levels and we do not know what they were like before they reached intensive care.

"So these results will be very useful."

Volunteers needed

The Xtreme team are looking for 208 volunteers and so far 85 people have signed. Tariq Sheikh, a 27-year-old IT consultant from Orpington in Kent, is one.

He found about the expedition after overhearing some work colleagues talking about it and was interested in taking part.

"I've been snowboarding in the Alps and trekking in New Zealand.

"Since then it has been my goal to climb Everest by the time I reach 30.

Tariq Sheikh is one the volunteers to climb Everest

"I am really looking forward to meeting the other people on the trip, experiencing the stunning views from the mountain and helping out with the medical research.

"I just hope I come back in one piece."

Volunteers must be 18 or older, but there is no upper age limit.

So far the oldest person to sign up is 73.

Kay Mitchell said: "We are looking for people who are willing to try something different.

"It will not be the easiest trip in the world, so you must be reasonably fit but you do not have to be superman."