Do children respond differently from adults to low oxygen levels?

Xtreme Everest plans to take children aged 8 and over on a research expedition to the Everest region next year. The children and their parents will trek from Lukla to Namche Bazaar and undergo tests at laboratories in London, Kathmandu, and Namche Bazaar.

The management of critically ill children is often quite different from the management of critically ill adults, and this may be related to differences in physiological responses to low oxygen levels.

The research team carried out a pilot study on children in 2007 which was very popular with both the children and their parents. The team, led by Dr Mark Peters, from the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street, want to repeat the study with much larger numbers to obtain additional meaningful data.

Three trek groups of children will set out on March 23rd, March 27th, and March 30th. Each trip will last a minimum of 14 days. This will form part of a larger expedition, Xtreme Everest 2, led by Dr Daniel Martin from the Royal Free Hospital and UCL.

Details of how to get involved will be available soon.