USA : VivoMetrics＇ LifeShirt to uncover clues to altitude illness

VivoMetrics announced that noted researcher Bruce D. Johnson, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Mayo College of Medicine, will be taking the VivoMetrics LifeShirt System to the South Pole to collect valuable data for his ongoing research to uncover clues to altitude illness.
Dr. Johnson will also use the extremely harsh and lower oxygen environments found in Antarctica to understand the body’s response in chronic diseases where hypoxia (low oxygen) is a factor, such as chronic heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Dr. Johnson’s research project, which is titled “Altitude Symptoms at the South Pole, ASAP,” is part of a three-year study funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF operates a station at the South Pole and thus depends upon its researchers to perform well at high altitude and in the extreme temperatures and low humidity of Antarctica.
The study began in October 2006 and the upcoming departure on October 13 will mark the second year of data collection using the LifeShirt. Dr. Johnson and his research team from the Mayo Clinic expect to spend up to six weeks in the extreme environment.
Altitude illness can be debilitating for anyone who travels, especially those who work or enjoy sports such as snow skiing or hiking in mountainous regions. Yet clues as to why some people are affected by altitude illness while others are not have eluded researchers.