Real-time electrocardiogram transmission from Mount Everest during continued ascent

The feasibility of a real-time electrocardiogram (ECG) transmission via satellite phone from Mount Everest to determine a climber's suitability for continued ascent was examined. Four Taiwanese climbers were enrolled in the 2009 Mount Everest summit program. Physiological measurements were take...

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Published inPloS one Vol. 8; no. 6; p. e66579
Main Authors Kao, Wei-Fong, Huang, Jyh-How, Kuo, Terry B J, Chang, Po-Lun, Chang, Wen-Chen, Chan, Kuo-Hung, Liu, Wen-Hsiung, Wang, Shih-Hao, Su, Tzu-Yao, Chiang, Hsiu-chen, Chen, Jin-Jong
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Public Library of Science 20.06.2013
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects
Adult
Altitude
Biology
Critical care
Digitization
EKG
Electrocardiography
Electrocardiography - instrumentation
Electrocardiography - methods
Feasibility
Feasibility Studies
Female
Gender
Global positioning systems
GPS
Health care
Heart rate
Heart Rate - physiology
Hospitals
Humans
Hypoxia
Informatics
Male
Medical research
Medicine
Middle Aged
Monitoring, Physiologic - methods
Mortality
Mountaineering - physiology
Physiology
Prospective Studies
Real time
Reproducibility of Results
Satellite Communications
Satellite navigation systems
Satellites
Signal processing
Telemedicine
Taiwan
Mount Everest
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Summary:The feasibility of a real-time electrocardiogram (ECG) transmission via satellite phone from Mount Everest to determine a climber's suitability for continued ascent was examined. Four Taiwanese climbers were enrolled in the 2009 Mount Everest summit program. Physiological measurements were taken at base camp (5300 m), camp 2 (6400 m), camp 3 (7100 m), and camp 4 (7950 m) 1 hour after arrival and following a 10 minute rest period. A total of 3 out of 4 climbers were able to summit Mount Everest successfully. Overall, ECG and global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of climbers were transmitted in real-time via satellite phone successfully from base camp, camp 2, camp 3, and camp 4. At each camp, Resting Heart Rate (RHR) was transmitted and recorded: base camp (54-113 bpm), camp 2 (94-130 bpm), camp 3 (98-115 bpm), and camp 4 (93-111 bpm). Real-time ECG and GPS coordinate transmission via satellite phone is feasible for climbers on Mount Everest. Real-time RHR data can be used to evaluate a climber's physiological capacity to continue an ascent and to summit.
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Conceived and designed the experiments: W-FK J-HH TBJK P-LC W-CC K-HC W-HL T-YS J-JC. Performed the experiments: W-FK J-HH TBJK P-LC W-CC K-HC W-HL T-YS H-CC J-JC. Analyzed the data: W-FK J-HH TBJK P-LC W-CC K-HC W-HL S-HW. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: W-FK J-HH TBJK P-LC W-CC K-HC W-HL S-HW T-YS H-CC. Wrote the paper: W-FK J-HH TBJK P-LC S-HW H-CC J-JC. Designed the devices: W-FK J-HH TBJK P-LC W-CC K-HC W-HL T-YS. Designed the transmission system: W-FK J-HH TBJK P-LC W-CC K-HC W-HL T-YS.
Competing Interests: Drs W-HL and T-YS, although employed by Taiwan Telemedicine Device Company (Kaohsiung, Taiwan), do not have any conflict of interest in regards to the current investigation. Their employment does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0066579