How do your cardiorespiratory parameters change at high altitude?

Keito K9 biometric stations for cardiorespiratory monitoring.

With the installation of the second Keito K9 biometric station in Courmayeur (Pontal) after the one opened at Punta Helbronner (3466m altitude) at the end of 2019, the high-altitude cardiac monitoring project of the Monzino Cardiological Center is being relaunched, with the support of the IEO-CCM Foundation. The study is aimed at the heart of all those who choose to venture to the lowest point of the sky and wish to monitor their body’s reactions at high altitudes for free.

The multilingual station, equipped with a touch screen, specifically determines weight, height, percentage of lean and fat mass, body mass index (BMI), but most importantly, it measures blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation in the blood.

"Research aims high" High-altitude cardiac monitoring.

The cardiomonitoring station was designed by Prof. Piergiuseppe Agostoni, Coordinator of the Critical Cardiology Area at the Monzino Cardiological Center, Full Professor of Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Milan, and one of the leading experts on high-altitude cardiovascular issues, along with his collaborators Carlo Vignati and Massimo Mapelli.

Participating in the project is very simple:

Approach the station at the valley station and fill out the questionnaire on the touch screen located on the right (click on “Get card”);
Step onto the scale and activate the parameter measurement by inserting the card you just collected;
Follow the instructions and complete the measurements;
Keep the card to repeat the measurements once you reach the summit: it is crucial that you perform both measurements to get an accurate assessment.

Warning: biometric stations are only activated by the card issued at the valley station. You cannot obtain one at altitude.

To further inform and raise awareness among the population, informational panels about the cardiovascular effects of acute altitude exposure are also installed next to the Keito K9 biometric station, allowing for the evaluation of whether the measured parameters fall within normal limits in relation to altitude. The primary aim of this project is to assess the characteristics of the population that frequents high altitudes and understand what happens to the heart and lungs when rapidly ascending to high altitudes.