Local Doctors Set To Scale Everest In Name Of Medical
Research
16 March 2007
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Two doctors from The London Clinic, Harley Street, are preparing
for the trip of a lifetime when they set off on Saturday (17 March)
to climb Mount Everest as part of a pioneering research project –
Caudwell Xtreme Everest.
Dr. Denny Levett (35) and Dr. Daniel Martin (34) both work in
the Critical Care Unit at The London Clinic. They will form part of
a 60-strong team taking part in the three-month expedition (March –
June 2007) organised by The Centre for Altitude, Space and Extreme
Environment Medicine (CASE), at University College London.
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The project hopes to place a research team on the summit of
Everest who will use the extreme environment as a model for
investigating critical illness and human physiology. The Caudwell
Xtreme Everest team will be specifically studying the human
response to low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in 200 healthy volunteers
from the general public and 24 doctors and scientists.
Dr. Levett, who is one of the Caudwell Xtreme Everest’s deputy
research leaders, says: “Low oxygen levels (hypoxia) are an almost
universal problem in critically ill patients on breathing machines.
However, it is difficult to study the isolated effects of low
oxygen levels in the Clinic as patients have so many other health
problems occurring at the same time. Studying healthy individuals
in low oxygen levels will increase our understanding of the effects
of hypoxia and enable us to use this knowledge when caring for
critically ill children and adults affected by it back at
home.”
Dr. Levett and Dr. Martin are not averse to taking on such
challenges. Aside from their highly demanding roles on the Critical
Care Unit at The London Clinic, both have been involved in a
variety of expeditions in the past. Dr. Martin has previously taken
part in expeditions in Mount Baruntse in Nepal and Cho Oyu in
China. Dr. Levett has participated in a number of marine biology
expeditions in Tanzania, Oman and Fiji, as well as mountaineering
expeditions in remote locations worldwide. However, neither of them
have ever been involved in anything on this scale before.
Dr. Martin adds: “We am really looking forward to the excitement
of conducting experiments high on Everest. We have had so many
rehearsals and dedicated so much time and effort to this project,
We are both just desperate to get out there and put it all into
action!”
The London Clinic, one of the UK's most established independent
hospitals, is dedicated to providing progressive technology and
medical excellence for all its patients. As part of its 75th
anniversary celebrations, The London Clinic is thrilled to be
supporting the Caudwell Xtreme Everest project - both sponsoring
the medical research programme and also funding four Clinic staff
members as participants.