Testing Kids At World’s Highest Peak

While we are often sucked into endless debate on Iraq, Afghanistan and ‘War on Terror’, we miss out on lot of other exciting things happening in the world. If only we could look beyond the world of our own making…

Here’s a fascinating story about a different kind of expedition to the Everest. A British Professor has decided to take his kids to the highest peak in the world to undertake medical tests.

Monty Mythen, Smiths Medical Professor of Anaethesia and Critical Care at University College London, told The Times: “ ‘At sea level you can’t tell who will cope and who won’t. On Everest, if we can understand more about what makes someone a rapid adapter, we may be able to find the switches and adaptors to help the others cope.’

“The only problem was, whatever the study might reveal about adults could not safely be applied to children. “Children are not just miniature adults,â€? he said. ‘Their bodies function differently.’

“The test needed to be replicated with children — the results could prove vital to the treatment of premature babies, babies born with cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease, and children with congenital lung problems.

“Sometimes roped to Sherpas as they ascend up to 13,000ft (4,000m), The Smiths Medical Young Everest Study will test how nine children, aged from 6 to 13, respond to high altitude and low oxygen levels. It is, for obvious reasons, the first test of its kind.

“The tests they undergo could prove lifesaving, and open up a new frontier of child-testing on Everest. It will also demonstrate the durability of new technology, including a ‘life vest’ that could allow sick children to be monitored in their home rather than in hospital.”

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Here’s some more information on Mt. Everest…