At the base of a huge mountain, an altitude of 17,590 feet is probably not the first place one would expect to find an emergency room. Unless however, that mountain is Mount Everest and that emergency room is the Everest Base Camp Medical Clinic. This clinic is interesting in that the altitude is half the amount of the oxygen at sea level, and all the physicians specialize in mountaineering. They will treat about five hundred people between early April and late May, which is peak climbing season. Most of the climbers will be here for treatment at some point in the perilous journey, while more than two hundred and fifty people have died on the mountain. The summit sits at 29,029 feet and is almost impossible without oxygen tanks. The effects …show more content…
As climbers get higher in altitude digestion begins to slow until the intestines become hypoxic and can no longer send nutrients to the muscles that desperately need them. For this reason the climbers must eat only small portions when ascending to the next campsite. As they ascend even higher their bodies have trouble digesting protein and they begin to crave more sugar. As for water, it is impractical to carry with them so they melt snow off the mountain for drinking. This is becoming more problematic as more people are coming to climb Everest than ever. The trash, human feces, and bodies on the mountain make for unsanitary conditions of drinking water. The bacteria in the water can cause diarrhea, which could be potentially fatal with the other extreme conditions. When climbers get near the summit there are even greater risks and these very serious conditions can be fatal if they are not treated quickly. High-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema can occur when the body creates pressure and fluid on the lungs or the brain. Symptoms can range from dizziness to hemoptysis and the best cure is to descend to a lower altitude. However, hypoxia of the brain makes this difficult as it leads people to make poor impulsive decisions. Since it would be nearly impossible to descend on their own, the patients need to be carried down to the base