SCIENCE BRIEFING
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A team of British doctors conducting experiments in the “death zone” of Mt. Everest has recorded the lowest levels of blood oxygen in humans. The findings, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, could lead to better care for patients with heart and lung ailments in intensive care units, premature babies and others suffering from low-oxygen levels.
The study took place in the area above 26,250 feet on Everest where thin air limits the amount of oxygen getting into the lungs and can lead to organ failure and coma. An analysis showed that high-altitude climbers have incredibly low levels of oxygen in their blood.
