All Systems go as 1999 Everest Extreme Expedition Prepares for Spring Launch

Public/Private Sector Partnership Will Expand Frontiers of Telemedicine and Health-Science for the Next Millennium

New Haven, Conn., March 12, 1999 - A unique health-science team ranging in ages from 23 to the mid-70's is now preparing for the rigors of a six-week expedition to the world's highest mountain - Mount Everest. The (E399) Everest Extreme Expedition '99, organized by the Yale/NASA Commercial Space Center for Medical Informatics and Technology Applications, The Explorers Club and Millennium Healthcare Solutions, Inc. with participation by the National Institutes of Health, is scheduled to depart for Nepal on April 21.

Mount Everest offers a unique opportunity to evaluate and explore the challenges of humans in extreme and remote environments. E399's mission is to push the limits of equipment and technology that will accompany astronauts to the International Space Station and explore approaches to healthcare delivery here on Earth. The climbing team will be equipped with the latest medical technologies, as well as access to medical specialists halfway around the globe.

Supported by some of the most advanced medical and communications technology ever deployed, the 15-member E3 99 team will operate at altitudes of 17,500 ft. and higher for more than five weeks. Support facilities at Yale University will embrace the Everest site with full communications, management, and analysis in real-time.

Medical devices such as vital signs monitors worn by the E3 team members and climbers will transmit scientific data on their performance, endurance, physiologic status, and location to colleagues in the telemedicine field lab at Everest Base Camp and on to Yale University. Data, such as ultrasound images will be transmitted to Yale University and to Walter Reed Army Medical Center during daily rounds conducted by physicians at Base Camp. Members of the team will be monitored as "physiological ciphers."

"Most of the devices tested on this expedition were not available until recently. However, the coming decade will see adaptations of similar devices in rural areas and home care delivered through hospitals and EMT teams. The most sophisticated diagnostic care should be available when and where needed," said Dr. Ronald C. Merrell, M.D., F.A.C.S., Lampman Professor of Surgery and Chairman Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine. "The procedures and technologies tested on this expedition have enormous potential for delivering high-quality healthcare to patients residing in remote locations and even to the homes of patients suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and emphysema, among others."

The E3 expedition will reach far beyond the realms of doctors and research scientists. Arrangements are underway for live interactive video- and Internet conferences broadcast from Mount Everest to reach science teachers, school children and their parents in various regions in the United States and Canada.

Financial and in-kind support for the E3 expedition and its educational outreach is coming from a wide range of private and public partnerships, with sponsors including OLYMPUS America, Inc., Nestle Clinical Nutrition, Cisco Systems, Saint Charles Hospital, Becton Dickinson, DHS Systems LLC, MOUNTAINSMITH, Kifaru International, PowerBar, Inc. and Camelbak, among others.

"Why is this expedition of value? This combination of exploration and field science to measure real-time physiological effects en-route the summit of Mount Everest epitomizes what should be considered true exploration in the years to come," said Dr. Alfred S. McLaren, president of The Explorers Club.