"Is climbing Everest good for my heart, doctor?"

Recorded at the 2014 British Cardiovascular Society meeting in Manchester, Heart associate editor Dr James Rudd talks to Dr Rob Casserley, summiteer of Everest, and his wife and cardiologist Marie-Kristelle Ross.

Rob initially worked as surgeon and is now a GP with a specialist interest in altitude and expedition medicine. He has climbed Everest eight times, including double summits in spring 2007 and spring 2010, and is the first-ever Western climber to have achieved this feat. He was been featured in "Everest ER", a BBC1 documentary series about medicine and climbing on Everest. He assisted Sir Ranulph Fiennes as doctor, guide and cameraman in a 2008 climb of Everest.

In this episode of the Heart podcast, they discuss high altitude, endurance sports and their effects on the heart and lungs in both health and disease.