Exposure to extreme altitude above 8000 meters resulted in an alveolar partial pressure of carbon dioxide of 7.5 torr, arterial pH over 7.7, and maximum oxygen uptake of about 1 liter per minute.
Observational
What are the physiological responses of humans to extreme altitude and severe oxygen deprivation on Mount Everest?
This expedition provided rare physiological measurements of humans at extreme altitudes above 8000 meters, demonstrating profound hyperventilation and respiratory alkalosis as key survival mechanisms.
Extreme altitude presents an enormous physiological challenge to the human body because of severe oxygen deprivation. The American Medical Research Expedition to Everest was specifically designed to study man under these conditions, and successfully obtained physiological data above 8000 meters, including a few measurements on the summit itself. The results show that man can tolerate the extreme hypoxia only by an enormous increase in ventilation, which results in an alveolar partial pressure of carbon dioxide of 7.5 torr on the summit and an arterial p H of over 7.7. Even so, the arterial partial pressure of oxygen is apparently less than 30 torr, and maximum oxygen uptake is about 1 liter per minute. Additional measurements of ventilation, blood physiology, and metabolic and psychometric changes clarified how man responds to this hostile environment.
John B. West (Fri,) conducted a observational in Severe oxygen deprivation at extreme altitude. Extreme altitude (>8000 meters) was evaluated on Physiological parameters (alveolar pCO2, arterial pH, arterial pO2, maximum oxygen uptake). Exposure to extreme altitude above 8000 meters resulted in an alveolar partial pressure of carbon dioxide of 7.5 torr, arterial pH over 7.7, and maximum oxygen uptake of about 1 liter per minute.