Poles plan an extraordinary expedition - Nevado Tres Cruces 2015 - MedExpedition

Nevado Tres Cruces 2015 – MedExpedition – under this name is hidden an expedition organized by five of our compatriots, who decided to break the Guinness record in high altitude diving. The goal is the highest crater lake in South America – Tres Cruces Norte (5915 m).

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Members of the expedition will set off for the Andes on 22 February 2015. The expedition will last three weeks, and the return is scheduled for 17 March. During their stay, the five Poles want, apart from diving itself, to conduct a number of studies, checking the impact of such extreme conditions on the human body and physiology.

“All divers will have miniature arrhythmia recorders implanted under their skin. At an altitude of nearly 6,000 metres the amount of oxygen in the air is very low. Therefore, during the day, when a person is active, the human heart simply goes crazy and a lot of different kinds of disturbances appear in its work, which we will want to study and compare. What is most interesting is that at night we may have to deal with the complete opposite. It is likely that the heart will slow down considerably, or even stop beating for a few seconds,” explains Patryk Krzyżak, the expedition’s medical director, in an interview with polskieradio.pl.

Specific objectives of the expedition:

-Diving in Tres Cruces Norte Lake and setting a Guinness World Record.
-Evaluating the behaviour of the human body in extreme high-altitude conditions and carrying out pioneering medical research, including diving in high-altitude lakes.
-Exploration of the lake, establishing the depth and searching for life forms.
-Evaluating the acclimatisation of people with an implanted pacemaker and the effects on heart rhythm and sleep quality.

The line-up of the team, which will soon set off for the frosty Andes, is as follows:

Maciek Kołodziejczyk – expedition leader, traveller, alpinist and technical diver. During his travels he has visited 60 countries on 5 continents. His diving and mountaineering achievements are very impressive. He led the Ojos del Salado 2012 MedExpedition.

Patryk Krzyżak – medical director of the expedition, cardiologist dealing with pacemaker implantation, diver and photographer. During his diving career he has visited the most exotic corners of the world. Like Maciek Kołodziejczyk, he took part in the Ojos del Salado 2012 MedExpedition.

Darek Załuski – Himalayan mountaineer and filmmaker. He has climbed 5 eight-thousanders: Gasherbrum II, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, K2 and twice Mt. Everest. Films which he shot during his expeditions have been repeatedly exhibited and won prestigious competitions.

Janek Pentz – IANTD technical diving instructor – wreck diving enthusiast, within 15 years of diving career participated in expeditions to all continents except Antarctica. He has also climbed in the Himalayas and the Andes. He is a co-founder of the Association of Diving History Enthusiasts.

Zbyszek Popiela – MSDT diving instructor and IANTD technical diver, traveller, sailor and rock climbing enthusiast. An expert in ice diving and a “golden hand” watching over all equipment. Participant and person responsible for the diving aspect of the Ojos del Salado 2012 MedExpedition.

Krzysiek Wranicz – a doctor and divemaster. He has over 1000 dives to his credit, as well as climbing experience from the Tatra Mountains, the Alps and in the mountains of Ladakh and Kashmir. He was a member of GOPR.

Sebastioan Ryhorowicz – paramedic, paramedic with experience from the ambulance service. First aid instructor. He has a pacemaker implanted, which will be a very important part of the research conducted during the expedition.

You will find more information here.

Source: polskieradio.pl, medexpeditions.org