With Xenon in 7 days on Mount Everest? Alpinist receives death threats

Usually an expedition to the highest mountain in the world takes at least six to eight weeksso that the body can adapt to the extreme height. In May, however, four British mountaineers are said to be in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu And from there to the base camp at 5,300 meters of Jetten, reach the 8,848 meter high summit after two to three days of ascent and fly back to Europe on the 7th day.

Costs for the fastest Everest expedition in history: 150,000 euros. Aids: Xenon.

When anesthetic used

The noble gas is a rare element that is also used as an anesthetic. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been a forbidden substance/method since 2014. At Furtenbach’s express expedition, the participants should inhale a minimal dose of Xenon – medically strictly controlled – weeks before climbing.

After 48 hours, it should no longer be detectable as a fleeting gas in the body. But: it stimulates the production of the hormone Erythropoetin (Epo) on what leads to the formation of increased red blood cells – and improves the oxygen supply in the body. A complex acclimatization on the mountain – repeated climbing and descending – should be omitted.

The project has been causing excitement for weeks. So warns that International Association of the Bergsportsverganden (UIAA) in one opinion in front of an “off-label muse without a scientific basis and with unknown health risks”. The Austrian Society for Alpine and High Medicine On the KURIER request, refers to the UIAA’s statement and reports: “So far there is no scientific data that shows that Xenon is an advantage in the mountaineering expedition setting.” The Ögahm therefore does not recommend “to inhale Xenon in preparation for expedition mountaineering”.

Marc Moritz BergerMedical Director of the Clinic for Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy at the Ludwigsburg Clinic and the Board of Directors of the Ögahm, also misses scientific data. Xenon is hardly used in clinical routine, not least because of the high costs. It is neither known how high the epo or hematocrit mirror (Ratio of the volume of all red blood cells to the total volume of the blood) The xenon inhalation will be with the four British mountaineers, even if there is z. B. the risk for Thrombosis is increased. “These are considerations that come from the theory, but they are not underpinned with data and are therefore pure speculation,” he says in an interview with the courier.

“Die as heroic glorified”

Furtenbach itself has tested the noble gas five times during expeditions. “Every time I was surprised and enthusiastic about the effect,” says the entrepreneur to the courier. He does not want to speak of doping, as critics accuse him of. He is not concerned with a performance -enhancing effect, but about the prevention of altitude disease to “make height mountaineering safer”.

“The fact that you get so much and so hard criticism – up to threats to murder – there is only in mountain sports, where dying is glorified as heroic,” he complains. He receives encouragement for his project primarily from the Anglo-American region, but also from the customer and mountain guide side and expedition doctors. “It seems to be a cultural question.”

Ascent in three weeks

The entrepreneur also points out that Xenon is not the only means of acclimatization, but part of a comprehensive strategy: the British pioneers are preparing, among other things, with one Hypoxie-Training and -Lafprotocol For many weeks at home. Overall, the acclimatization period is not shorter, but the risk on the mountain is even less than with conventional expeditions because the time is shortened in a potentially dangerous environment, he argues.

And: “The ascent itself is not only medically monitored, but of course also using bottle oxygen.” With these measures, his company “Furtenbach Adventures” was able to climb Mount Everest in the past within three weeks offer. A classic, slow expedition over 12 weeks without additional oxygen has a much higher risk of health problems, he says. “We are not open to us how a one -week expedition with bottle oxygen should be more dangerous.”

Warning of imitators

What should not be forgotten when using a lot of oxygen: What happens if the supply is no longer guaranteed? “Then I have the problem that I may be difficult to pre -acclimatized and suddenly exposed to the oxygen offer of the ambient air. Then I am not prepared for the great height and it will be dangerous.”

In any case, the population had to be warned of “not inhaling xenon uncontrollably somewhere in the back yard or hotel room in order to supposedly increase performance on the mountain. In the event of an acute exposure, Xenon can lead to unconsciousness and, in the worst case, to the cardiovascular arrest,” said Berger.