Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are many circumstances that can induce asphyxia, all of which are characterized by the inability of a person to acquire sufficient oxygen through breathing for an extended period of time. Asphyxia can cause coma or death.
| Asphyxia | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Asphyxiation |
| The neck contains several vulnerable targets for compression, including the carotid arteries and the trachea. | |
| Specialty | Critical care medicine |
| Complications | Coma |
| Frequency | 9.8 million unintentional worldwide (2015) |
| Deaths | 35,600 worldwide (2015) |
In 2015, about 9.8 million cases of unintentional suffocation occurred which resulted in 35,600 deaths. The word asphyxia is from Ancient Greek α- "without" and σφύξις sphyxis, "squeeze" (throb of heart).
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