Researchers from the University of Giessen, Germany used two ACUSON Cypress echocardiography systems from Siemens Medical Solutions to investigate changes in cardiac performance and lung function at extreme altitudes during an expedition to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. Studying the effects of altitude on pulmonary conditions was possible for the first time, enabled by the high-quality imaging features and portability of the 8 kg Cypress system.
The medical researchers accompanied the “Mount Everest Expedition 2003” team of mountaineers who set out to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 2003, exactly 50 years after the first climbers, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay, made their historic trip.
“Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is an underestimated medical problem that affects nearly 10 to 15 percent of the entire population, including most patients with underlying chronic lung and heart diseases,” noted Dr. Friedrich Grimminger, lead investigator for the project. “To date, non-invasive early diagnoses, as well as effective treatments have been lacking. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of suitable interventions for PHT in a group of highly trained athletes under the extreme conditions of a Mount Everest expedition.”
The study subjects were voluntarily exposed to an acute PHT reaction caused by hypoxia, a lack of oxygen. In just a few weeks on the trek as a result of the high altitudes, reactions were induced which mimicked those developed over years in patients with PHT disease, creating an ideal research situation. Unlike natural disease progress in patients, organ conditions in the expedition team were reversible. However, the medical researchers hoped to uncover knowledge that ultimately would help reverse such conditions in patients with PHT disease.
“This research is of great importance to understanding acute and chronic pulmonary hypertension, both for high-altitude medicine and for general medicine,” said Dr. Ardeschir Ghofrani, one of the project’s researchers.
“At the end of the day, we hope to pinpoint appropriate, effective therapy for hypoxia in mountaineers and also for the numerous chronic cardiac and lung diseases with underlying pulmonary hypertension.”
The lightweight, portable ACUSON Cypress echocardiography system made this research possible. The highly miniaturized, all-digital system offered the researchers a full range of capabilities and quality images in a compact package that could easily accompany the expedition on its trek up Everest.
The Cypress platform was designed to withstand the rigors of constant transportation while remaining as reliable as conventional echocardiography systems and providing outstanding image quality. The system has digital storage capacity for over 100 studies and network capabilities to send studies from remote locations.
“It’s gratifying to know that the portability and high-end imaging capabilities of our ACUSON Cypress system enabled this highly significant research on pulmonary hypertension,” said John Pavlidis, president, Siemens Medical Solutions Ultrasound Division. “The system was designed to offer exceptional portability from hospital emergency room, to a patient’s bedside, or to a physician’s office.
That the system is now being used in unique situations like a climb on Mount Everest demonstrates its potential to bring high quality echocardiography to airplanes, remote villages, virtually anywhere around the globe.”
