Oxygen plays a vital role, and its deficiency leads to irreversible consequences. This element is involved in the creation of energy, and its lack leads to a stop of vital processes.

Hypoxia - what is it? it scientific name oxygen starvation, that is, a condition in which oxygen deficiency occurs in tissues. Lack of oxygen can be within moderate limits for life, but also lead to irreversible consequences.

Hypoxia is an insufficient supply of oxygen to the body or a violation of the order of utilization of carbon dioxide due to oxidation.

Most sensitive to lack of oxygen:

• central nervous system;
• myocardium
• kidneys;
• liver.

These parts of the human body require the most energy, and oxygen deficiency leads to disruption of their work.

Important! The most dangerous for the body are hypoxia of the brain and heart. Myocardial hypoxia can develop rapidly, which leads to tissue necrosis, that is, their death. The lack of oxygen worsens the work of the heart rhythm, the left and right ventricles begin to work differently, trying to balance the lack of oxygen. All this causes ventricular fibrillation, a life-threatening condition.

Oxygen starvation, depending on the cause, happens:

• exogenous;
• respiratory;
• blood;

The brain is the first organ to suffer from lack of oxygen.

• circulatory;
• histotoxic;
• reloading;
• mixed;
• technogenic.

Exogenous oxygen starvation is experienced by lovers of mountain hiking. This type is caused by a change in air pressure during inspiration (a large difference between the pressure in the lungs and in the external environment). The respiratory variety is caused by a poor supply of blood from the lungs to the blood vessels. This is often the case with smokers. Blood hypoxia is a common occurrence for owners of anemia. She is also associated with poisoning. carbon monoxide. And overload hypoxia is familiar to those who are engaged in heavy physical labor.

According to the rate of development, hypoxia happens:

• lightning fast;
• acute;
• chronic.

Lightning develops rapidly, so the elimination of its causes should be just as fast. Acute - typical for post-infarction conditions and after a large loss of blood. Chronic accompanies heart diseases, such as, for example, heart disease and cardiosclerosis.

The result of hypoxia is the cessation of the functioning of all organs and systems in a matter of seconds from the moment the oxygen starvation of the body begins.

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Signs of oxygen starvation

The most difficult thing to diagnose oxygen starvation is to determine it. The symptoms are often too vague. One of the typical signs of oxygen starvation is a sharp excitation nervous system up to a state of euphoria, followed by a sharp oppression and apathy. During excitation, voluntary movements of the body are observed (anxiety for no reason, twitching of the collar, etc.), a violation of the normal rhythm of the heart and breathing (noticeable on the cardiogram - frequent and uneven heart contractions are observed). When the excitation abruptly passes, the skin becomes too pale, cold sweat appears on the forehead, “flickers” appear before the eyes.

The body tries to "rescue":

• paralysis of a group of muscles develops by increasing their tone;
• various protective reflexes appear and disappear;
• the body "turns off" some functions, which causes loss of consciousness.

Attention! With lightning-fast hypoxia, coma can occur 1–2 minutes after loss of consciousness.

In the first 15 seconds, a stoppage of brain activity occurs, and the person falls into a coma.

With myocardial hypoxia, there is a rapid work of the heart, with inactivity, it can also completely stop, which will lead to a lack of oxygen in the brain.

It is important to remember that the sooner first aid is provided, the less consequences for the body.

Quite typical for hypoxia symptoms are also:

• headache;
• hysterical state (when you want to laugh and cry at the same time);
• memory impairment and disorientation;
• aggressiveness and deterioration of mental activity;
• violation of sleep, vision, speech.

Treatment of hypoxia

Oxygen starvation can even lead to death, so when observing the first symptoms, it is important to provide first aid:

• provide access to fresh air;

The consequences of hypoxia depend on the rate of development of oxygen starvation

• unfasten clothing that restricts breathing;
• to do artificial respiration and in case of cardiac arrest - an indirect heart massage.

Important! Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Therefore, if necessary, stop the bleeding, ventilate the room, free the lungs or airways.

Sometimes the elimination of hypoxia comes down to a regular walk in the fresh air, but if the cause is a heart, kidney disease, or a malfunction of the brain or liver, then the treatment of oxygen starvation should be more serious. For each type, the necessary measures are quite diverse:

• lung ventilation;
• the use of bronchodilators, analeptics and antihypoxants;
• use of oxygen concentrates;
• blood transfusion;
• heart surgery for myocardial hypoxia.

Drug treatment of myocardial hypoxia

It should be remembered that for the treatment different types different drugs are used.

Treatment of cerebral hypoxia is directly subordinated to the causes of

Important! Do not self-medicate. Cardiac drugs should be prescribed only by a cardiologist.

All drugs that eliminate hypoxia are called antihypoxants. They are divided into three groups:

• direct type;
• indirect type;
• mixed.

Direct acting antihypoxants are first aid drugs for cardiac hypoxia. They stimulate energy processes in the heart muscle instead of the missing oxygen (for example, Mexidol, Neoton, Piracetam).

Indirect antihypoxants put the heart into a calmer state where it consumes less oxygen. However, this is an emergency remedy, as it can impair brain function. An excellent example of such drugs are sleeping pills and anesthetics.

Mixed antihypoxants combine the previous two types, but also contain vitamins.

Treatment of myocardial hypoxia with folk remedies

Folk remedies can only be an additional treatment in the chronic form, but by no means the main method of treatment and be used in other forms.

Beneficial effects on the work of the heart have:

• hawthorn;
• arnica;
• nettle;
• black currant;
• viburnum fruits;
• cowberry;
• ginseng;
• ginger;
• gingko;
• marshmallow;
• anise.

It is these plants that help to maintain cardiac function in a normal state.

Oxygen starvation or cerebral hypoxia is a severe pathological condition of the human body, in which insufficient oxygen enters the cells.

Causes of hypoxia:

1. various diseases of the body;
2. circulatory disorders;
3. paralysis of the respiratory muscles;
4. shock conditions;
5. heart and vascular insufficiency, heart block;
6. asphyxia;
7. alcohol;
8. carbon monoxide poisoning;
9. postoperative complications;
10. prolonged stay of a person in a gassed or stuffy room, at great depths or heights.

Regarding the rate of development, hypoxia happens:

Oxygen starvation is the cause of severe pathologies of the brain, heart, liver, kidneys. Severe hypoxia can lead to coma or death. Therefore, it is so important to take care of your health and in order to prevent or treat brain hypoxia, do not postpone a visit to the doctor.

What is oxygen starvation?

oxygen is vital important element for our body. It is involved in complex biochemical processes at the cellular level. Briefly, this process can be described as the synthesis of energy. And we need energy for everything: for the functioning of organs and systems (for example, the work of the heart, contraction of the intestinal walls), for our mental and physical activity.

With oxygen starvation, our body receives less energy - this is chronic tissue hypoxia. The function of the affected organ is impaired. And in especially severe cases, tissues do not receive energy at all - in case of poisoning, asphyxia.

What happens during oxygen starvation?

It is not for nothing that experts call the brain a “critical organ” during hypoxia. After the cessation of blood supply, the dynamics of brain dysfunction is as follows:

Only 4 seconds in acute oxygen deficiency is able to withstand the brain tissue without disrupting activity.

With prompt qualified assistance, the state of coma can be reversible.

Signs of hypoxia

Signs of oxygen starvation depend on the type and causes of hypoxia. On the early stage signs of hypoxia are subtle, but can have irreversible consequences.

Classification of types of oxygen starvation regarding the causes:

1. Exogenous hypoxia. It occurs as a reaction to low oxygen content, at low pressure, in stuffy rooms, when climbing to a height.
2. Hemic hypoxia- this is a lack of oxygen in the blood, for example, with anemia.
3. Respiratory hypoxia. Occurs when the body's ability to receive oxygen is impaired due to the pathology of the respiratory system.
4. Circulatory hypoxia associated with CVD pathology.
5. tissue hypoxia. It develops if oxygen is not absorbed by the tissues of the body.
6. Overload hypoxia. May occur as a result of intense physical activity when the body's need for oxygen increases.
7. Mixed hypoxia- prolonged oxygen starvation of a severe form with a combination of several reasons.

General signs of oxygen starvation.

With timely provided, adequate medical care all body functions are restored.

Symptoms of oxygen starvation

They are quite varied and typical:

1. A sharp headache resulting from a pressure drop or lack of oxygen in the room.
2. A state of distraction and disorientation after a sudden deterioration in memory. Often the patient cannot understand where he is. Unable to remember where he went. This state does not last long. When it passes, the person calms down, attributing these symptoms to overwork or starvation.
3. A sharp transition from a state of excitement, euphoria, an increase in adrenaline to a state of lethargy and lethargy. There is a rapid heartbeat, dizziness, cold sweat, convulsions.
4. Involuntary and uncontrolled actions of the limbs, impaired skin sensitivity, lethargy, sensation of pain in the arms and legs.
5. Frequent mood swings, falling into extremes, the desire to laugh and cry for no particular reason.
6. Sleep disturbance, insomnia, awakenings in the middle of the night.
7. Aggression, irritability, weakness against the background of general fatigue of the body. A person cannot concentrate on a particular job.
8. Speech and vision impairment.
9. Decrease in mental abilities, difficulties with assimilation of new information.

By ignoring the symptoms of oxygen starvation of the brain, you are putting your health at serious risk. Timely access to specialists, early diagnosis and proper treatment will help prevent serious complications.

Hypoxia research methods:

Treatment of oxygen starvation

Brain hypoxia is a serious pathological condition of the body, so treatment should be carried out at the first symptoms. Timely treatment will prevent negative consequences and avoid complications.

The treatment of oxygen starvation depends on the causes of the disease, by eliminating which positive dynamics can be achieved.

Emergency help for hypoxia.

If signs of hypoxia appear before the doctor arrives, it is important to provide the patient with fresh air and, if necessary:

• unfasten clothes;
• to remove water from the lungs;
• ventilate a smoky or stuffy room;
• remove the patient to fresh air;
• do artificial respiration.

Doctors provide therapy, saturation of the body with oxygen, blood transfusion, resuscitation.

Treatment methods depend on the causes and types of hypoxia. In some cases, it is enough to ventilate the room and walk in the fresh air.

Depending on the severity of the patient's condition, treatment can take place in a hospital or at home. To normalize the patient's condition, medications and vitamins are prescribed.

Serious treatment will be required if the causes of oxygen starvation are problems of the heart, kidneys, blood, lungs. Therefore, the establishment of the work of the cardiovascular system, respiration, correction of the acid-base state of the blood, water-salt balance is of great importance.

1. In the case of exogenous hypoxia, oxygen equipment will be needed.
2. With respiratory hypoxia, one cannot do without bronchodilators, respiratory analeptics, antihypoxants.
3. In some cases, artificial lung ventilation, oxygen concentrators are used.
4. Treatment of hemic hypoxia requires blood transfusion.
5. In the treatment of circulatory hypoxia, corrective operations on the heart and blood vessels are used.

Prolonged oxygen starvation can cause cerebral edema, requiring the appointment of decongestants. With untimely resuscitation, fulminant and acute hypoxia often lead to death. Therefore, preventive measures, early diagnosis and timely complex treatment of hypoxia are so important.

Prevention

To prevent hypoxia, it is necessary to eliminate all the causes that lead to a lack of oxygen.

1. Frequent walks in the fresh air - better outside the city or in the park.
2. If you have to stay indoors for a long time - frequent ventilation at any time of the year.
3. Periodic preventive examinations by specialists - for the early detection of diseases and their timely treatment.
4. Sufficient physical activity.
5. Prevention of beriberi: eating fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. If necessary - taking vitamin and mineral complexes in courses.
6. Exclusion of smoking, drinking alcohol.

Which doctor should I contact with oxygen starvation?

It all depends on the course of the process. If this is chronic oxygen starvation, then usually the cause is heart or blood disease. Accordingly, the cardiologist or therapist is engaged in the correction. And if the brain suffers, a neurologist is connected to the treatment.

Acute or fulminant hypoxia, as well as severe chronic hypoxia, require urgent resuscitation measures. Therefore, in these cases, you need to immediately call an ambulance.

• Pulse oximetry. The method is accessible and simple - just put a pulse oximeter on your finger. Blood oxygen saturation is determined within a few seconds. The norm is at least 95%.

• Determination of acid-base balance (ASCHR) and blood gas composition.

• Capnography, CO-metry– study of gases of exhaled air.

• Laboratory and instrumental methods studies can establish the fact of hypoxia, but to establish its causes, an additional examination, individual for each patient, will be needed.

Oxygen is an active element, in the absence of which the vital activity of the human body stops within a few minutes. We will talk about what oxygen starvation is, called hypoxia. Hypoxia is an insufficient supply of oxygen to the body or a violation of the order of utilization of carbon dioxide due to oxidation. The continuous process of providing the human body with oxygen occurs due to the respiratory system and the transport elements of the blood flow. The first organ to suffer from lack of oxygen is the brain. Therefore, brain hypoxia will be the subject of the article.

More about oxygen starvation

So what is hypoxia? It is difficult to overestimate the importance of O2 for people. The result of hypoxia is the cessation of the functioning of all organs and systems in a matter of seconds from the moment the oxygen starvation of the body begins.

The consequences of hypoxia for any living organism are critical. In the first 15 seconds, a stoppage of brain activity occurs, and the person falls into a coma. With each new second of brain hypoxia, irreversible processes develop. And after 3-4 minutes, the brain stops functioning in adults, in other words, its death.

Types of hypoxia depending on the rate of development, table:

How does oxygen starvation of the brain manifest itself:

1. The phase of increased excitability is expressed in the inability to fully control one's actions, movements, facial expressions.
2. The appearance of cold sweat, perspiration indicates the body's attempts to cope with the consequences of hypoxia.
3. The unnatural shade of the skin covers immediately attracts attention. As a rule, there is hyperemia of the face, that is, pronounced redness. Or the skin becomes pale with a bluish tint.
4. Inhibition from the side of the central nervous system is expressed in damage to the brain structures responsible for hearing, vision, and articulate speech. Hypoxia of the brain causes disturbances of these functions all at the same time or any one of them. In this case, the patient may complain of signs of oxygen starvation, such as darkening in the eyes, dullness of hearing, tinnitus, and others.
5. Loss of unconditional and conditioned reflexes, such consequences of oxygen starvation, are caused by cerebral edema due to perinatal hypoxia.

With a high sensitivity of the brain to hypoxic lesions, a person can fall into a coma. Disabling the main control center as a result of brain hypoxia entails cardiac arrest, blood circulation and the complete cessation of the body's vital activity. It is now clear why even a short-term or limited lack of oxygen access to the lungs should not be allowed.

Consequences of cerebral hypoxemia

Why is brain hypoxia dangerous? The consequences of hypoxia depend on the rate of development of oxygen starvation. Instantaneous, subacute and acute stages in the vast majority of cases end in death. The exception is situations when the patient receives resuscitation assistance in the first seconds. What is the danger of oxygen starvation in the chronic form is determined by the area of ​​\u200b\u200bdamage to the brain matter.

The most common chronic hypoxia consequences:

• Vomiting, nausea.
• Dizziness, clouding of consciousness up to its loss.
• Violations of speech, auditory, visual functions.
• Systematic pain in the head.

If the patient at the time of brain hypoxia is provided with highly professional assistance, treatment and a course of rehabilitation and preventive measures are carried out. Then a complete restoration of brain activity is possible. But when chronic hypoxia of the brain accompanies a person for a long period of time and no measures are taken to cure the pathological condition. That such a development of events usually threatens with serious consequences. And even in the case of the start of belated therapy for brain hypoxia, it is unlikely that it will be possible to fully restore the previous state, the consequences of oxygen starvation will still be traced.

Causes of asphyxia of the brain

Oxygen starvation of the brain is not a disease, but a pathological state of hypoxia, the causes of which can be both external and internal. Hypoxia of the brain can occur not only due to the cessation or restriction of oxygen access, but also due to a violation of the process of removing carbon dioxide from the body.

But also the causes of hypoxia can be associated with blood pathologies and, first of all, a lack of hemoglobin.

Causes of oxygen starvation associated with any pathologies and circumstances of restricting air intake:

• Various types of anemia.
• Atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels.
• Pathologies of the larynx, such as swelling or spasm of the throat.
• Prolonged stay in a room that is not ventilated.
• Gas intoxication.
• Allergic reaction to alcohol intake.
• Complications after the operation.
• Stress, accompanied by a decrease in blood pressure.
• Heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest.
• Stroke, resulting in an acute lack of oxygen in one or both hemispheres of the brain.
• Asphyxia, paralysis or pathology of the respiratory organs.

Etiological types of hypoxia:

• Exogenous (hypoxic origin) - occurs in a poorly ventilated, closed room, as well as at reduced atmospheric pressure while climbing to a great height.
• Respiratory (respiratory system) - occurs as a result of diverse violations of the patency of the oxygen flow along the paths of the respiratory organs.
• Circulatory (cardiac system) is detected as a result of circulatory pathologies. It is divided into the general circulatory type of hypoxia, in which the supply of oxygen masses to the organs and systems of the body is disrupted. And a local version of oxygen starvation in case of local disruption of oxygen supply.
• Tissue (histotoxic) is formed when tissue processes fail, as a result of which oxygen is absorbed by them.
• Blood (hemic) occurs when hemoglobin is completely or partially destroyed by carbon monoxide or oxidizing agents.
• Mixed there is a combination of several varieties of hypoxia.
• Overload appears when there is a lack of oxygen due to excessive physical exertion.

Symptoms of asphyxia of brain tissue

The symptoms of oxygen starvation of the brain differ depending on the reasons that caused it. But, despite the similarity, there are still slight differences in the symptoms of brain hypoxia, which occur in acute or chronic form.

Acute hypoxia symptoms are characterized by two stages:

1. Overexcitation of the central nervous system, expressed in rapid breathing and heartbeat, there are all signs of hypoxia - this is euphoria, perspiration and sticky sweat, a sharp headache. The state of overexcitation lasts for seconds, after which it is replaced by depression of the central nervous system up to loss of consciousness.
2. Depression of the nervous system is accompanied by symptoms of hypoxia, such as weakness, flashing of black dots in the eyes, drowsiness, dizziness, general apathetic state of health. Before coma occurs, the patient may experience a partial impairment of consciousness, accompanied by stupor, somnolence or stupor. Without the provision of resuscitation support, the patient's superficial reflexes fail in a matter of minutes, and after them, deep reflexes - the heart and breathing stop.

The clinical picture of oxygen starvation of the brain symptoms:

• Unreasonable mood swings.
• Decreased mental productivity.
• Deterioration of memorization with increasing progression.
• Deviations in coordination of movements and speech.
• Loss of concentration and fatigue.
• Weakening of mental activity, dementia.
• Inability to adequately respond to newly received information.
• Depression and other psychoses (irritability, resentment, tearfulness).
• Difficulty falling asleep at night, accompanied by daytime sleepiness.

Cerebral oxygen starvation symptoms are not specific to hypoxemia. The above signs of chronic hypoxia may accompany other pathologies. But in any case, the attending physician must check in each case whether there is a place for cerebral hypoxia.

Treatment of cerebral hypoxemia

How to treat cerebral hypoxia? Treatment of cerebral hypoxia is directly subordinate to the causes of occurrence. In addition to resuscitation, if acute insufficiency oxygen, there is also a standard treatment regimen for hypoxia treatment.

It consists in taking a number of drugs aimed at treating pathology, eliminating the causes and consequences of oxygen starvation of the brain.

To cure hypoxemia of the brain, drugs are prescribed:

• Nootropic.
• Eliminating headache.
• Normalizing blood circulation.
• Regulating vascular tone.
• Thinning blood.
• Bronchodilator.
• Anti-atherogenic.
• Iron-containing.
• Antidepressants and sedatives, as well as sleeping pills.
• Fortifying and vitamin complexes.

Medicines undoubtedly have a therapeutic effect, but without compliance healthy lifestyle life recovery will be inferior with the likelihood of recurrence of the pathology. The diagnosis of chronic hypoxia of the brain requires a revision of the diet and daily schedule. As a preventive measure for oxygen starvation, breathing exercises are recommended, running, jumping or just walking is also suitable, preferably as fast as possible. The main rule of successful therapy and prevention is systematic.

hypoxia or speaking plain language- oxygen starvation of the brain is a serious disease that requires diagnosis and treatment. Hypoxia blocks the supply of oxygen to the nerve junctions. In the case when there are no symptoms of impaired functioning, the brain can withstand 4 seconds of acute hypoxia, already a few seconds after the cessation of blood supply, the person loses consciousness, after 30 seconds, the person falls into a coma.

The most serious outcome in this violation is the death of a person. Therefore, it is important to know the main causes of oxygen starvation of the brain and the symptoms that will help identify the first signs of a violation and avoid serious consequences and long-term treatment.

There are 3 types of hypoxia:

• Fulminant hypoxia - development occurs quickly, within a few seconds and minutes;

• Acute hypoxia - lasts for several hours, the cause may be - a heart attack, poisoning;

• Chronic insufficiency - develops for a long time, the causes are heart failure, cerebral atherosclerosis, heart disease.

Causes of oxygen starvation

Oxygen deficiency of the brain can be caused by several reasons:

1. Respiratory - the brain is not able to get the proper amount of oxygen, due to a violation of the respiratory processes. Examples include diseases such as pneumonia, bronchial asthma, chest injury.

1. Cardiovascular - a violation of blood circulation in the brain. Causes may be: shock, thrombosis. Normalization of the work of the heart and blood vessels, helps prevent the development of a stroke of the brain.

1. Hypoxic - oxygen starvation, which occurs when oxygen in the air decreases. The most striking example is climbers, who, when climbing uphill, most clearly feel the lack of oxygen.

1. Blood - with this factor, oxygen transport is disturbed. The main reason is anemia.

1. Tissue - development occurs due to a violation of oxygen transport. The cause may be poisons or drugs that could destroy or block enzyme systems.

Main symptoms

Symptoms of a lack of oxygen in the brain can manifest themselves in different ways for each person. In one patient, sensitivity may decrease, lethargy may appear, in another, headaches may begin.

The main symptoms of oxygen starvation of the brain:

• Dizziness, the likelihood of loss of consciousness due to inhibition of the activity of the nervous system. The patient has severe bouts of nausea and vomiting;
• Blurred vision, darkness in the eyes.
• Change in skin color. The skin becomes pale or red. The brain reacts and tries to restore the blood supply, resulting in a cold sweat.
• Adrenaline rises, after which muscle weakness and lethargy occurs in the patient. A person ceases to control his movements and actions.
• Irritability, resentment appear, depression and other mental disorders develop.
• Inattention, the patient is hard to absorb information, reduced mental performance.

The final stage of the disease with oxygen starvation is the development of coma, and then soon the respiratory and cardiac arrest.

If the patient is provided with timely medical care, all body functions can be restored.

Diagnosis and treatment

To determine the current condition of the patient and whether he is really sick, a series of medical studies is required.

They include:

• Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. This method shows the consequences of oxygen deficiency. With this method, you can see the areas of the brain where sufficiently saturated oxygen is supplied.

• Ultrasound - the method allows you to determine the deviation from the norm during the development of a child in the womb. Allows you to determine oxygen starvation at the initial stage.

• Complete blood count and clinical tests for acid-base balance.

• General and selective angiography.

Treatment of oxygen deficiency, first of all, consists in restoring the required supply of oxygen to the brain.

With a lack of oxygen in the brain, the following measures are prescribed:

• Maintaining the normal functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems;
• Drugs to improve blood circulation in the brain;
• Antihypoxanes;
• Decongestants;
• Bronchodilator drugs.

Radical treatment of the disease is also carried out when the patient is already in serious condition. Such treatment includes: blood transfusion, installation of an oxygen mask, procedures for resuscitation of the patient.

Prevention of hypoxia

Preventing a disease is always easier than treating it. For a normal supply of oxygen to the body, you just need to follow the recommendations of experts. These tips can be used both for the prevention and treatment of oxygen deficiency.

The main tips include:

1. Fresh air . Walks should take at least 2 hours, preferably before going to bed. It is better to take walks in ecologically clean places (parks, forests).

1. Sport. Light exercise in the morning promotes better blood circulation, and if you also do it on the street, the effect will be doubled.

1. Correct schedule. It is required to normalize your regimen, take the required time for rest and sleep. To normalize the processes in the body, sleep should be given at least 7-8 hours. Do not forget to warm up if you work at the table.

1. Proper nutrition. For the normal supply of oxygen to the brain, nutrition plays an important role. The diet should consist of a large number of vegetables and fruits. You should eat foods rich in iron (buckwheat, meat, dried fruits), while dairy products and coffee consumption should be minimized.

1. Lack of stress. Try to avoid stressful situations and not be nervous in vain.

Respiratory prevention of oxygen deficiency

One of the most comfortable and simple ways disease prevention is breathing exercises. This method is very easy to use and does not require any additional effort.

A few useful exercises to keep in mind:

1. Relax completely, you need to take a 4-second deep breath, then hold your breath for the same time and exhale slowly. Repeat about 12-15 times. After 1 month, increase the time of inhalation and exhalation.

1. Inhale deeply and take at least 6-7 short exhalations through the nose. The mouth remains closed. Repeat 3-4 times.

It is advisable to repeat these exercises 2 to 4 times a day.

Oxygen starvation in newborns

Symptoms of a lack of oxygen in the brain can occur in a newborn during the period when the baby is still in the womb, so directly during childbirth. Hypoxia in a severe stage, not rarely, can lead to serious consequences for both the mother and the baby.

Of these, it can be noted:

• premature birth;

• Intrauterine death of a child;

• stillbirth;

• Severe disability of the child.

The reasons why these severe consequences in children can be caused:

1. Problems of the cardiovascular system;

1. Intrauterine infections;

1. Wrong lifestyle (alcohol, cigarettes, drugs);

1. Fetal pathology;

1. Birth trauma.

Oxygen deficiency, as a diagnosis, is made in about 15% of pregnancies.

Most often, brain hypoxia in a child develops as a result of the mother’s improper lifestyle, alcohol consumption, and smoking.

Therefore, in order for your child to grow up a healthy and strong child, you should give up bad habits.

The danger of brain hypoxia

The state of oxygen starvation can lead to pathological changes. Violated brain activity and basic functions of the brain.

Whether the prognosis will be favorable depends on the degree of brain damage, and at what stage the disease was discovered.

The chances of a person's recovery also depend on what state he is in at the moment. With a prolonged coma, the basic functions of the body are impaired and the chance of recovery becomes very low.

With a short-term coma, the chances of being rehabilitated are very high. In this case, the treatment may take sufficient time.

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The lack of oxygen in the blood can be caused by various reasons. The most common respiratory hypoxia is caused by a lack of oxygen in the inhaled air due to its rarefaction or impurities of other gases, or a violation of pulmonary gas exchange - this occurs in diseases such as pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Hemic hypoxia is caused by impaired oxygen transport by hemoglobin due to a low level of hemoglobin in the blood (anemia) or a decrease in the amount of active hemoglobin due to its destruction by toxic substances.

If there is enough oxygen in the arterial blood, but it does not enter the tissue due to circulatory disorders, congestive (circulatory) hypoxia develops.

Acute hypoxia can develop due to large blood loss, poisoning, during childbirth, the fetus can be seriously affected due to lack of oxygen if the process of labor is disturbed, the placenta or the umbilical cord wraps around the neck of the fetus.

The causes of chronic hypoxia are more often various types of anemia, chronic diseases lungs, prolonged stay in an area with very rarefied air (for example, in the mountains).

The effect of oxygen deficiency on the human body

Symptoms of acute oxygen deficiency resemble those of alcohol intoxication: begins to spin and, coordination is disturbed, then a breakdown begins, turning into a complete inability to move. At first, the mood rises for no reason, but after a while it worsens, apathy and depression appear. Metabolic processes are disturbed, the permeability of small blood vessels increases.

The faster acute hypoxia occurs and the longer it lasts, the more serious it is for the body. The nervous and cardiovascular systems suffer the most - prolonged deprivation of oxygen leads to the death of brain cells, the functioning of the heart stops.

Chronic hypoxia is manifested by a persistent decrease in immunity and performance, high fatigue, intolerance to physical exertion - any activity causes palpitations and weakness. In a constant lack of oxygen, mental activity also slows down, drowsiness and apathy are possible. Children suffering from chronic hypoxia are susceptible to infections, have difficulty concentrating, and in severe cases lag behind in physical and especially mental development.

Hypoxia (oxygen starvation)

Oxygen starvation in medicine has the term - hypoxia. Such a pathology is not considered a disease or syndrome, it is a condition in which the body receives less oxygen. Exist different forms hypoxia. The consequences of the reaction of the body depend on the type of pathology.

oxygen starvation

The cells of the human body for the normal functionality of organs and systems must be constantly saturated with oxygen. If this process fails, then it cannot do without consequences.

Not everyone has a correct understanding of what it is: hypoxia. Most people believe that oxygen starvation can only occur if a person is deprived of the opportunity to breathe for a long time, but this is not entirely true. Oxygen deficiency is also possible for internal reasons.

Oxygen starvation or cerebral hypoxia is a severe pathological condition of the human body, in which insufficient oxygen enters the cells.

Lack of oxygen most often causes a disease such as hypoxia of the heart. A feature of the pathology is the defeat of the ventricles of the heart. With hypoxia of the heart, a stroke or myocardial infarction often occurs.

In medicine, there is a special term - myocardial hypoxia (GM). The pathological process affects the right or left ventricle. The main reason is the lack of oxygen in the tissues of the heart. The consequence of GM is cell death (necrosis).

The reasons

Various reasons can provoke an insufficient supply of oxygen to myocardial tissue, including external factors and diseases associated with the transport of substances through the vessels.

There are five main groups of negative factors.

• exogenous- lack of air in the room. With a long stay in a room where "fresh" air does not enter, the likelihood of developing heart failure is high.
• Respiratory- violation of the intake of air through the respiratory tract from the outside. For example, suffocation or drowning.
• Histotoxic- violation of the absorption of oxygen by tissues due to poisoning with heavy metals or carbon monoxide.

Severe hypoxia can lead to coma or death

• Circulatory- lack of substances resulting from blockage of blood vessels.
• mixed- the influence of several factors simultaneously or the sequential impact of several causes.

Hypoxia, according to statistics, is more often observed in men, but representatives of both sexes are susceptible to this pathology.

Attention! With oxygen starvation, it is important not to delay in providing medical care. The chance of death is quite high.

Signs of oxygen starvation

Symptoms of myocardial hypoxia can have completely different signs. At the same time, there is no significant difference in the defeat of one or the other ventricle.

Signs of oxygen deficiency of the heart depend on several factors:

• forms of pathology;
• severity;
• the duration of the anoxic state.

Ignoring the symptoms of oxygen starvation of the brain, you are seriously endangering your health.

The hypoxic state can occur in several forms. It is on what type of pathological process is observed in the patient that the manifestation of symptoms and the method of treatment depend.

There are four forms:

• instant - occurs instantly in two to three minutes;
• acute - can develop from twenty minutes to 2 hours;
• subacute - progresses over three to five hours;
• chronic - the most moderate form, which can last for years.

The most dangerous is the instant form. As a rule, it is during its occurrence that an acute pathological lesion of the heart develops.

General signs

Symptoms of a pathological condition with a lack of oxygen have characteristic manifestations:

• increased and irregular heartbeat;
• fibrillation (appearance of ventricular or atrial flutter);
• constant feeling of weakness and fatigue;
• the appearance of shortness of breath or uneven breathing and others.

If you have to stay indoors for a long time - frequent ventilation at any time of the year

With oxygen starvation, the work of the heart is disturbed, therefore, the pathological condition is clearly displayed on the cardiogram.

Important! In the acute or instantaneous form of the pathology, attention should be paid to the symptoms preceding myocardial infarction (chest pain, panic attack, dizziness and rapid heartbeat).

Hypoxia: treatment

It is impossible to cope with myocardial hypoxia without determining the reasons for which an insufficient supply of oxygen to the body occurs (occurred).

Treatment can be carried out in several ways:

• drug therapy;
• surgical intervention;
• ethnoscience.

Surgical intervention is used only in extreme cases, when oxygen starvation is provoked by heart disease.

Therapeutic methods

Medical therapy involves taking medicines. Medicines can be prescribed only by a doctor, after passing the diagnosis and determining the clinical picture.

Brain hypoxia is a serious pathological condition of the body, so treatment should be carried out at the first symptoms.

To alleviate myocardial hypoxia, drug treatment includes taking the following groups of drugs:

• antihypoxants ("Mexidol", "Neoton", "Mildronate", etc.);
• sedatives;
• calcium blockers;
• blockers.

Medications help reduce the intensity of symptoms and help normalize metabolic processes.

Blood transfusion and plasmapheresis are also used. The essence of these procedures is the introduction into the body of "renewed" (new) blood, saturated with oxygen.

Folk methods

In cases where the oxygen starvation of the cardiac system does not have a significant degree of insufficiency, it is possible, together with medical methods use the recommendations of traditional medicine.

With myocardial hypoxia, treatment is carried out with folk remedies that contribute to the normalization of the vascular system. The main tool that has proven itself with positive side, is considered a tincture of hawthorn.

• tinctures of wild rose, wood lice or lingonberries;
• natural Birch juice(taken 0.5 liters per day);
• tea with linden or lemon balm.

To folk methods can be attributed:

• getting rid of bad habits;
• regular walks in parks, forests, etc.;
• adherence to a diet that reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

People suffering from hypoxia or who are in the period of rehabilitation after sudden oxygen starvation are recommended complete calm, climate change (when living in an urban area) and trips to sanatoriums located in ecologically clean areas. A trip to the sea will also be useful.

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Insufficient supply of oxygen to the nerve tissues of the brain provokes the development of such a pathological condition as oxygen starvation or hypoxia of the brain. The causes of hypoxia are both a lack of oxygen in the blood and a violation of the blood supply to the brain with blood.

There are acute and chronic forms of hypoxia. The acute form progresses very quickly, can cause coma, irreparable changes in nerve tissues, and even death. In the chronic form, the pathological process develops for months and even years, accompanied by such signs as low working capacity.

Hypoxia can be observed in patients of any age category, starting from the period of prenatal development.

Intrauterine fetal hypoxia

If intrauterine fetal hypoxia is chronic, then treatment is prescribed to eliminate its causes.

For example, with the help of special therapy, they try to improve uteroplacental blood flow, due to which the blood is saturated with oxygen, normalize metabolic processes in the fetus and increase the resistance of its nervous system to hypoxia.

If the undertaken treatment does not give the expected effect, early delivery is recommended at a gestational age of more than 28 weeks.

Oxygen starvation of the brain in adults

Acute cerebral hypoxia in an adult can be caused by the following pathological conditions:

• Stroke, in which, as a rule, the blood supply is disturbed in one part of the brain. The cause may be a narrowing, rupture or blockage of the vessel by a thrombus.
• Hypovolemic shock, accompanied by a sharp drop in blood pressure, which leads to a significant deterioration in the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain.
• Cardiac arrest, due to which the circulation of blood through the vessels stops.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning, as a result of which the supply of oxygen to tissues ceases.
• Suffocation (asphyxia), when the blood is not enriched with oxygen in the lungs, and the brain experiences severe oxygen starvation.

Asphyxia can occur due to the ingress of various objects or water into the respiratory tract, with spasm of the respiratory tract or external mechanical action on the neck (suffocation by hand or hanging).

Chronic hypoxia can develop when:

drugs to improve cerebral circulation (vasodilators, microcirculation correctors, antioxidants),

funds for the restoration of nerve cells (antihypoxants, nootropics and neuroprotective drugs).

The tactics of treating patients to a large extent depends on the causes that caused acute cerebral hypoxia and the severity of neurological disorders.

In the chronic form of hypoxia, therapy consists of:

in eliminating factors that cause chronic lack of oxygen (for example, changing working conditions),

in the course of treatment of diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems (for example, with atherosclerosis, Cinnarizine, Tanakan, Actovegin, Cavinton are prescribed).

What is the danger of oxygen starvation of the brain

The consequences of hypoxia depend on the degree of development of the process. In a severe course of an acute form of oxygen deficiency, when cerebral edema is observed, irreversible pathological transformations in neurons can quickly develop.

It happens that even after the normal supply of oxygen to the brain is restored, these processes do not stop and lead to the destruction of nerve cells, the formation of softened foci in the brain tissues. In the future, this is fraught with a variety of neurological disorders.

But with timely medical assistance, the cells do not have time to suffer much, they gradually recover and the likelihood of serious consequences is minimized.

As for chronic hypoxia, there are no pronounced morphological changes in brain cells. Therefore, when the impact on the patient of harmful external factors stops, his health quickly returns to normal.

Thanks

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hypoxia is a pathological condition characterized by oxygen deficiency in the body, which occurs due to its insufficient supply from the outside or against the background of a violation of the utilization process at the cellular level.

The term "hypoxia" comes from the addition of two Greek words - hypo (little) and oxygenium (oxygen). That is, the literal translation of hypoxia is a lack of oxygen. In common parlance, the term hypoxia is usually deciphered as oxygen starvation, which is quite fair and correct, since, in the end, during hypoxia, all cells of various organs and tissues suffer from a lack of oxygen.

General characteristics of hypoxia

Definition

Hypoxia refers to typical pathological processes that can occur in the body in various diseases and conditions. This means that hypoxia is not specific, that is, it can be caused by various factors, and accompany a wide variety of diseases, and be a key link in the development of pathological changes in various ailments. That is why hypoxia refers to typical general pathological processes, such as inflammation or dystrophy, and, accordingly, is neither a diagnosis nor even a syndrome.

It is the essence of hypoxia as a typical pathological process that makes it difficult to understand it at the everyday level, at which a person is accustomed to dealing with specific diseases that manifest clear signs and main symptoms. In the case of hypoxia, a person, as a rule, also considers the pathological process to be a disease and begins to look for its main manifestation and symptoms. But such a search for the main manifestation of hypoxia as a disease interferes with understanding the essence of this pathological process. Consider the difference between a general pathological process and a disease with examples.

Each person faced with some kind of diagnosis tries to find out what it means, that is, what exactly is wrong in the body. For example, hypertension is high blood pressure, atherosclerosis is the deposition of fatty plaques on the walls of blood vessels, narrowing their lumen and impairing blood flow, etc. In other words, each disease is a certain set of symptoms that come from the defeat of a particular organ or tissue. But the totality of symptoms characteristic of each disease does not appear just like that, but is always due to the development of some general pathological process in a particular organ. Depending on what kind of general pathological process takes place and which organ is affected, one or another disease develops. For example, at the beginning of a general pathological inflammatory process in the lungs, a person can develop a wide variety of diseases caused specifically by inflammation of the lung tissue, such as, for example, pneumonia, bronchopneumonia, tuberculosis, etc. With a dystrophic general pathological process in the lungs, a person may develop pneumosclerosis, emphysema, etc.

In other words, the general pathological process determines the type of disturbances occurring in an organ or tissue. And the emerging disorders, in turn, cause characteristic clinical symptoms from the affected organ. That is, the same general pathological process can affect different organs and is the main mechanism for the development of various diseases. That is why the concepts of "symptoms" are not used to characterize general pathological processes, they are described from the standpoint of disorders arising at the cell level.

And hypoxia is just such a general pathological process, and not a symptom, not a syndrome, and not a disease, as a result of which the essence of disorders arising at the cellular level, and not symptoms, is given to describe it. Changes at the cellular level that occur during hypoxia can be divided into two groups - these are adaptive reactions and decompensation. And first, the body in response to hypoxia activates adaptive reactions that can for some time maintain a relatively normal functioning of organs and tissues under conditions of oxygen starvation. But if hypoxia continues for too long, then the body's resources are depleted, adaptive reactions are no longer supported, and decompensation occurs. The stage of decompensation is characterized by the appearance of irreversible changes in organs and tissues, which in any case are manifested by negative consequences, the severity of which varies from organ failure to death.

Development of hypoxia

Compensatory reactions during hypoxia are due to oxygen deficiency at the cell level, and therefore their effects are aimed at improving the supply of oxygen to tissues. In the cascade of compensatory reactions, to reduce hypoxia, mainly the organs of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems are involved, and there is also a change in biochemical processes in the cells of tissues and organ structures, which are most affected by a lack of oxygen. Until the potential of compensatory reactions is completely wasted, organs and tissues will not suffer from oxygen deficiency. But if, by the time the compensatory mechanisms are depleted, an adequate supply of oxygen is not restored, then a slow decompensation will begin in the tissues with cell damage and disruption of the functioning of the entire organ.

In acute and chronic hypoxia, the nature of compensatory reactions is different. So, in acute hypoxia, compensatory reactions consist in increased respiration and blood circulation, that is, an increase in arterial pressure, tachycardia occurs (heart rate more than 70 beats per minute), breathing becomes deep and frequent, the heart pumps more blood per minute than normal. In addition, in response to acute hypoxia from the bone marrow and spleen, all the "reserves" of erythrocytes that are necessary to carry oxygen to the cells enter the systemic circulation. All these reactions are aimed at normalizing the amount of oxygen delivered to the cells by increasing the volume of blood passing through the vessels per unit of time. In very severe acute hypoxia, in addition to the development of these reactions, centralization of blood circulation also occurs, which consists in redirecting all available blood to vital organs (heart and brain) and a sharp decrease in blood supply to the muscles and organs of the abdominal cavity. The body directs all oxygen to the brain and heart - organs that are critical for survival, and, as it were, “deprives” those structures that are currently not needed for survival (liver, stomach, muscles, etc.).

If acute hypoxia is eliminated within a period of time during which compensatory reactions do not deplete the body's reserves, then the person will survive, and after a while all his organs and systems will work perfectly normally, that is, oxygen starvation will not leave serious disorders. If hypoxia continues longer than the period of effectiveness of compensatory reactions, then by the time it is eliminated, irreversible changes will occur in organs and tissues, as a result of which, after recovery, the person will have various disruptions in the work of the most affected organ systems.

Compensatory reactions in chronic hypoxia develop against the background of severe long-term diseases or conditions, therefore, they also have the character of constant changes and deviations from the norm. First of all, to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the blood, the number of red blood cells increases, which makes it possible to increase the amount of oxygen carried by the same volume of blood per unit time. In addition, the activity of an enzyme increases in erythrocytes, which facilitates the transfer of oxygen from hemoglobin directly to the cells of organs and tissues. New alveoli are formed in the lungs, breathing deepens, the volume of the chest increases, additional vessels are formed in the lung tissue, which improves the flow of oxygen into the blood from the surrounding atmosphere. The heart, which has to pump more blood per minute, hypertrophies and increases in size. In tissues suffering from oxygen starvation, changes also occur that are aimed at more efficient use of a small amount of oxygen. Thus, the number of mitochondria (organelles that use oxygen to ensure cellular respiration) increases in cells, and many new small vessels are formed in tissues, which ensure the expansion of the microvasculature. It is precisely because of the activation of microcirculation and a large number of capillaries during hypoxia that a person develops a pinkish skin color, which is mistaken for a "healthy" blush.

Adaptive reactions in acute hypoxia are exclusively reflex, and therefore, when oxygen starvation is eliminated, they stop their action, and the organs completely return to the mode of functioning in which they existed before the development of an episode of hypoxia. In chronic hypoxia, however, adaptive reactions are not reflex, they develop due to the restructuring of the functioning of organs and systems, and therefore their action cannot be quickly stopped after the elimination of oxygen starvation.

This means that during chronic hypoxia the body can change its mode of functioning in such a way that it will fully adapt to conditions of oxygen deficiency and will not suffer from it at all. In acute hypoxia, complete adaptation to oxygen deficiency cannot occur, since the body simply does not have time to restructure the modes of functioning, and all its compensatory reactions are designed only to temporarily maintain the functioning of organs until adequate oxygen supply is restored. That is why the state of chronic hypoxia can be present in a person for many years, without interfering with his normal life and work, and acute hypoxia in a short period of time can lead to death or irreversible damage to the brain or heart.

Compensatory reactions during hypoxia always lead to a change in the mode of functioning of the most important organs and systems, which causes a wide range of clinical manifestations. These manifestations of compensatory reactions can be conditionally considered symptoms of hypoxia.

Types of hypoxia

The classification of hypoxia was made repeatedly. However, practically all classifications do not fundamentally differ from each other, since once identified on the basis of the causative factor and the level of damage to the oxygen transport system, the varieties of hypoxia are justified. Therefore, we will give a relatively old classification of hypoxia into types, which, nevertheless, is accepted in the modern scientific community as the most complete, informative and justified.

So, at present, according to the most complete and reasonable classification, hypoxia, depending on the mechanism of development, is divided into the following types:

1. Exogenous hypoxia (hypoxic hypoxia) - due to environmental factors.

2. Endogenous hypoxia - due to various diseases or disorders that a person has:

• Respiratory (respiratory, pulmonary) hypoxia.
• Circulatory (cardiovascular) hypoxia:
  • Ischemic;
  • congestive.
• Hemic (blood) hypoxia:
  • anemic;
  • Caused by inactivation of hemoglobin.
• Tissue (histotoxic) hypoxia.
• substrate hypoxia.
• overload hypoxia.
• Mixed hypoxia.

Depending on the rate of development and course, hypoxia is divided into the following types:

• Lightning (instantaneous) - develops within a few seconds (no longer than 2 - 3 minutes);
• Acute - develops within a few tens of minutes or hours (no longer than 2 hours);
• Subacute - develops within a few hours (no longer than 3 - 5 hours);
• Chronic - develops and lasts for weeks, months or years.

Depending on the prevalence of oxygen starvation, hypoxia is divided into general and local.

Consider the various types of hypoxia in detail.

Exogenous hypoxia

Exogenous hypoxia, also called hypoxic, is caused by a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the inhaled air. That is, due to the lack of oxygen in the air, with each breath less oxygen enters the lungs than normal. Accordingly, blood comes out of the lungs, saturated with oxygen insufficiently, as a result of which a small amount of gas is brought to the cells of various organs and tissues, and they experience hypoxia. Depending on atmospheric pressure, exogenous hypoxia is divided into hypobaric and normobaric.

Hypobaric hypoxia due to low oxygen content in rarefied air with low atmospheric pressure. Such hypoxia develops when climbing to great heights (mountains), as well as when rising into the air on open aircraft without oxygen masks.

Normobaric hypoxia develops at a low oxygen content in air with normal atmospheric pressure. Normobaric exogenous hypoxia can develop when you are in mines, wells, on submarines, in diving suits, in cramped rooms with a large crowd of people, with general air pollution or smog in cities, as well as during surgery with a malfunction of anesthesia and respiratory equipment.

Exogenous hypoxia is manifested by cyanosis (cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes), dizziness and fainting.

Respiratory (respiratory, pulmonary) hypoxia

Respiratory (respiratory, pulmonary) hypoxia develops in diseases of the respiratory system (for example, bronchitis, pulmonary hypertension, any pathology of the lungs, etc.), when the penetration of oxygen from the air into the blood is difficult. That is, at the level of the pulmonary alveoli, there is a difficulty for the rapid and effective binding of hemoglobin to oxygen that has entered the lungs with a portion of inhaled air. Against the background of respiratory hypoxia, complications can develop, such as respiratory failure, cerebral edema and gaseous acidosis.

Circulatory (cardiovascular) hypoxia

Circulatory (cardiovascular) hypoxia develops against the background of various circulatory disorders (for example, a decrease in vascular tone, a decrease in total blood volume after blood loss or dehydration, an increase in blood viscosity, increased clotting, centralization of blood circulation, venous stasis, etc.). If the circulatory disorder affects the entire network of blood vessels, then hypoxia is systemic. If blood circulation is disturbed only in the area of ​​​​an organ or tissue, then hypoxia is local.

With circulatory hypoxia, a normal amount of oxygen enters the blood through the lungs, but due to circulatory disorders, it is delivered to organs and tissues with a delay, as a result of which oxygen starvation occurs in the latter.

According to the mechanism of development, circulatory hypoxia can be ischemic and congestive. Ischemic form hypoxia develops with a decrease in the volume of blood passing through organs or tissues per unit time. This form of hypoxia can occur with left ventricular heart failure, myocardial infarction, cardiosclerosis, shock, collapse, vasoconstriction of some organs, and other situations when blood sufficiently saturated with oxygen is for some reason passed through the vascular bed in a small volume.

stagnant form hypoxia develops with a decrease in the speed of blood movement through the veins. In turn, the speed of blood flow through the veins decreases with thrombophlebitis of the legs, right ventricular heart failure, increased intrathoracic pressure and other situations when blood stasis occurs in the venous bed. With a congestive form of hypoxia, venous, rich in carbon dioxide, blood does not return to the lungs in time to remove carbon dioxide and saturate with oxygen. As a result, there is a delay in the delivery of the next portion of oxygen to organs and tissues.

Hemic (blood) hypoxia

Hemic (blood) hypoxia develops in violation of the quality characteristics or a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. Hemic hypoxia is divided into two forms - anemic and due to changes in the quality of hemoglobin. Anemic hemic hypoxia is caused by a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, that is, anemia of any origin or hydremia (blood dilution due to fluid retention in the body). And hypoxia, due to a change in the quality of hemoglobin, is associated with poisoning by various toxic substances that lead to the formation of forms of hemoglobin that are not able to carry oxygen (methemoglobin or carboxyhemoglobin).

With anemic hypoxia oxygen normally binds and is carried by the blood to organs and tissues. But due to the fact that there is too little hemoglobin, an insufficient amount of oxygen is brought to the tissues and hypoxia occurs in them.

When the quality of hemoglobin changes its amount remains normal, but it loses its ability to carry oxygen. As a result, when passing through the lungs, hemoglobin is not saturated with oxygen and, accordingly, the blood flow does not deliver it to the cells of all organs and tissues. A change in the quality of hemoglobin occurs when a number of chemicals are poisoned, such as carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide), sulfur, nitrites, nitrates, etc. When these toxic substances enter the body, they bind to hemoglobin, as a result of which it ceases to carry oxygen to the tissues, who are experiencing hypoxia.

Acute hypoxia

Acute hypoxia develops quickly, within a few tens of minutes and persists for a limited period of time, ending either in the elimination of oxygen starvation or irreversible changes in the organs, which will eventually lead to serious illness or even death. Acute hypoxia usually accompanies conditions in which blood flow, the quantity and quality of hemoglobin change dramatically, such as, for example, blood loss, cyanide poisoning, heart attack, etc. In other words, acute hypoxia occurs in acute conditions.

Any variant of acute hypoxia must be eliminated as soon as possible, since the body will be able to maintain the normal functioning of organs and tissues for a limited period of time until compensatory-adaptive reactions are exhausted. And when the compensatory-adaptive reactions are completely exhausted, under the influence of hypoxia, the most important organs and tissues (primarily the brain and heart) will begin to die, which will ultimately lead to death. If it is possible to eliminate hypoxia, when tissue death has already begun, then a person can survive, but at the same time he will have irreversible dysfunctions in the functioning of the organs most affected by oxygen starvation.

In principle, acute hypoxia is more dangerous than chronic, since it can short time lead to disability, organ failure, or death. And chronic hypoxia can exist for years, giving the body the opportunity to adapt and live and function quite normally.

Chronic hypoxia

Chronic hypoxia develops over several days, weeks, months or even years, and occurs against the background of long-term diseases, when changes in the body occur slowly and gradually. The body "gets used" to chronic hypoxia by changing the structure of cells under existing conditions, which allows the organs to function quite normally, and the person to live. In principle, chronic hypoxia is more favorable than acute, since it develops slowly, and the body is able to adapt to new conditions with the help of compensation mechanisms.

Fetal hypoxia

Fetal hypoxia is a state of oxygen starvation of a child during pregnancy, which occurs when there is a lack of oxygen supplied to it through the placenta from the mother's blood. During pregnancy, the fetus receives oxygen from the mother's blood. And if a woman's body for some reason cannot deliver the required amount of oxygen to the fetus, then it begins to suffer from hypoxia. As a rule, the cause of fetal hypoxia during pregnancy is anemia, diseases of the liver, kidneys, heart, blood vessels and respiratory organs in the expectant mother.

A mild degree of hypoxia does not adversely affect the fetus, and moderate and severe can have a very negative effect on the growth and development of the baby. So, against the background of hypoxia, necrosis (dead tissue areas) can form in various organs and tissues, which will lead to congenital malformations, premature birth, or even intrauterine death.

Fetal hypoxia can develop at any gestational age. Moreover, if the fetus suffered from hypoxia in the first trimester of pregnancy, then there is a high probability of the appearance of developmental anomalies incompatible with life, as a result of which its death and miscarriage occur. If hypoxia affected the fetus during the 2nd - 3rd trimesters of pregnancy, then the central nervous system may be affected, as a result of which the born child will suffer from developmental delay and low adaptive abilities.

Fetal hypoxia is not a separate independent disease, but only reflects the presence of any serious disturbances in the work of the placenta, or in the mother's body, as well as in the development of the child. Therefore, when signs of fetal hypoxia appear, doctors begin to search for the cause of this condition, that is, they find out which disease led to oxygen starvation of the child. Further, the treatment of fetal hypoxia is carried out in a complex manner, simultaneously using drugs that eliminate the underlying disease that caused oxygen starvation, and drugs that improve oxygen delivery to the child.

Like any other, fetal hypoxia can be acute and chronic. Acute hypoxia occurs when there is a sharp disruption of the mother's body or the placenta and, as a rule, needs urgent treatment, because otherwise it quickly leads to the death of the fetus. Chronic hypoxia can exist throughout pregnancy, negatively affecting the fetus and leading to the fact that the child is born weak, retarded, possibly with defects in various organs.

The main signs of fetal hypoxia are a decrease in its activity (the number of shocks is less than 10 per day) and bradycardia below 70 beats per minute according to the results of CTG. It is by these signs that pregnant women can judge the presence or absence of fetal hypoxia.

For an accurate diagnosis of fetal hypoxia, a Doppler study of the vessels of the placenta, CTG (cardiotocography) of the fetus, ultrasound (ultrasound) of the fetus, a non-stress test are performed and the child's heartbeat is heard with a phonendoscope.

Hypoxia in newborns

Hypoxia in newborns is a consequence of oxygen starvation of the baby in childbirth or during pregnancy. Basically, this term It is used exclusively at the household level and it means the condition of a child, either born in a state of hypoxia (for example, due to entanglement of the umbilical cord), or suffering from chronic hypoxia during pregnancy. In fact, there is no such condition as hypoxia of newborns in its everyday, everyday sense.

Strictly speaking, there is no such term in medical science, and the condition of a newborn child is assessed not by speculative assumptions about what happened to him, but by clear criteria that allow you to say for sure whether the baby suffers from hypoxia after birth. Thus, the assessment of the severity of hypoxia of a newborn child is carried out according to Apgar score, which includes five indicators that are recorded immediately after the birth of the child and after 5 minutes. The assessment of each indicator of the scale exposes in points from 0 to 2, which are then summed up. As a result, the newborn receives two Apgar scores - immediately after birth and after 5 minutes.

A completely healthy baby, not suffering from hypoxia after birth, receives an Apgar score of 8-10 points either immediately after birth or after 5 minutes. A child suffering from moderate hypoxia receives an Apgar score of 4 to 7 immediately after birth. If after 5 minutes this child received an Apgar score of 8 - 10 points, then hypoxia is considered eliminated, and the baby has fully recovered. If the child in the first minute after birth receives 0 - 3 points on the Apgar scale, then he has severe hypoxia, for the elimination of which he must be transferred to intensive care.

Many parents are interested in how to treat hypoxia in a newborn, which is completely wrong, because if the baby received an Apgar score of 7-10 5 minutes after birth, and after discharge from the maternity hospital develops and grows normally, then nothing needs to be treated, and he successfully survived all the consequences of oxygen starvation. If, as a result of hypoxia, the child has any disorders, then they will need to be treated, and not to give the baby prophylactically various drugs to eliminate the mythical "hypoxia of the newborn."

Hypoxia in childbirth

In childbirth, the child may suffer from a lack of oxygen, which leads to negative consequences, up to the death of the fetus. Therefore, during all childbirth, doctors monitor the baby's heartbeat, since it is from it that you can quickly understand that the child began to suffer from hypoxia and an urgent delivery is needed. In case of acute fetal hypoxia in childbirth, to save him, an urgent cesarean section is performed for a woman, since if childbirth continues naturally, the baby may not live to see the birth, but die from oxygen starvation in the womb.

The following factors can be the causes of fetal hypoxia during childbirth:

• Preeclampsia and eclampsia;
• Shock or cardiac arrest in a woman in labor;
• uterine rupture;
• Severe anemia in a woman in labor;
• Bleeding with placenta previa;
• entanglement with the umbilical cord of the child;
• Prolonged childbirth;
• Thrombosis of the vessels of the umbilical cord.

In practice, fetal hypoxia during childbirth is very often provoked by intense uterine contractions caused by the administration of oxytocin.

Consequences of hypoxia

The consequences of hypoxia can be different, and depend on the period of time during which oxygen starvation was eliminated and how long it lasted. So, if hypoxia was eliminated during the period when the compensatory mechanisms were not depleted, then no negative consequences will not, after a while the organs and tissues will fully return to normal operation. But if hypoxia was eliminated during the period of decompensation, when compensatory mechanisms were exhausted, then the consequences depend on the duration of oxygen starvation. The longer the period of hypoxia turned out to be against the background of decompensation of adaptive mechanisms, the stronger and deeper the damage to various organs and systems. Moreover, the longer hypoxia lasts, the more organs are damaged.

During hypoxia, the brain suffers most severely, since it can withstand 3-4 minutes without oxygen, and from 5 minutes necrosis will already begin to form in the tissues. The heart muscle, kidneys and liver are able to endure a period of complete absence of oxygen for 30 to 40 minutes.

The consequences of hypoxia are always due to the fact that in cells in the absence of oxygen, the process of oxygen-free oxidation of fats and glucose begins, which leads to the formation of lactic acid and other toxic metabolic products that accumulate and eventually damage the cell membrane, leading to its death. When hypoxia lasts long enough from the toxic products of improper metabolism, the a large number of cells in various organs, forming whole areas of dead tissues. Naturally, such areas sharply impair the functioning of the organ, which is manifested by the corresponding symptoms, and in the future, even with the restoration of oxygen flow, it will lead to a persistent deterioration in the functioning of the affected tissues.

The main consequences of hypoxia are always caused by disruption of the central nervous system, since it is the brain that suffers primarily from oxygen deficiency. Therefore, the consequences of hypoxia are often expressed in the development of a neuropsychic syndrome, which includes parkinsonism, psychosis and dementia. In 1/2 - 2/3 of cases, the neuropsychic syndrome can be cured. In addition, the consequence of hypoxia is exercise intolerance, when, with minimal exertion, a person develops palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness, headache, dizziness, and pain in the region of the heart. Also, the consequences of hypoxia can be hemorrhages in various organs and fatty degeneration of muscle cells, myocardium and liver, which will lead to disruption of their functioning with clinical symptoms of insufficiency of one or another organ, which can no longer be eliminated in the future.

Hypoxia - causes

The causes of exogenous hypoxia may be the following factors:

• Discharged atmosphere at altitude (mountain sickness, altitude sickness, illness of pilots);
• Being in tight spaces with a large crowd of people;
• Being in mines, wells or in any closed premises (for example, submarines, etc.) with no communication with the external environment;
• Poor ventilation of premises;
• Work in diving suits or breathing through a gas mask;
• Strong air pollution or smog in the city of residence;
• Malfunction of anesthesia and respiratory equipment.

Causes various kinds endogenous hypoxia may be the following factors:

• Respiratory diseases (pneumonia, pneumothorax, hydrothorax, hemothorax, destruction of alveolar surfactant, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism, tracheitis, bronchitis, emphysema, sarcoidosis, asbestosis, bronchospasm, etc.);
• Foreign bodies in the bronchi (for example, accidental ingestion of various objects by children, suppression, etc.);
• Asphyxia of any origin (for example, with compression of the neck, etc.);
• Congenital and acquired heart defects (non-closure of the foramen ovale or Batal duct of the heart, rheumatism, etc.);
• Damage to the respiratory center of the central nervous system during injuries, tumors and other diseases of the brain, as well as when it is inhibited by toxic substances;
• Violation of the mechanics of the act of breathing due to fractures and displacements of the chest bones, damage to the diaphragm or muscle spasms;
• Disorders of the heart, provoked by various diseases and pathologies of the heart (heart attack, cardiosclerosis, heart failure, electrolyte imbalance, cardiac tamponade, pericardial obliteration, blockade of electrical impulses in the heart, etc.);
• A sharp narrowing of blood vessels in various organs;
• Arteriovenous shunting (transfer of arterial blood into veins through vascular shunts before it reaches organs and tissues and gives oxygen to cells);
• Stagnation of blood in the system of the inferior or superior vena cava;
• Thrombosis;
• Poisoning by chemicals that cause the formation of inactive hemoglobin (for example, cyanides, carbon monoxide, lewisite, etc.);
• Anemia;
• Acute blood loss;
• Syndrome of disseminated intravascular coagulation (hypoxia, clinical symptoms do not have time to appear, because death occurs within a very short period of time (up to 2 minutes). acute form hypoxia lasts up to 2-3 hours, and during this period there is a failure of all organs and systems at once, primarily the central nervous system, respiration and heart (heart rate slows down, blood pressure drops, breathing becomes irregular, etc.). If hypoxia is not eliminated during this period, then organ failure turns into coma and agony, followed by death.

  Subacute and chronic forms hypoxia are manifested by the so-called hypoxic syndrome. Against the background of hypoxic syndrome, symptoms from the central nervous system first appear, since the brain is most sensitive to oxygen deficiency, as a result of which foci of necrosis (dead areas), hemorrhages and other variants of cell destruction quickly appear in its tissues. Due to necrosis, hemorrhage and death of brain cells against the background of oxygen deficiency on initial stage hypoxia, a person develops euphoria, he is in an excited state, he is tormented by motor anxiety. One's own state is not evaluated critically.

  In addition to the symptoms of depression of the cerebral cortex, a person also has pain in the region of the heart, irregular breathing, shortness of breath, a sharp decrease in vascular tone, tachycardia (an increase in heart rate of more than 70 beats per minute), a drop in blood pressure, cyanosis (cyanosis of the skin), decrease in body temperature. But when poisoned with substances that inactivate hemoglobin (for example, cyanides, nitrites, nitrates, carbon monoxide, etc.), human skin becomes pinkish in color.

  With prolonged hypoxia with a slow development of CNS damage, a person may experience mental disorders in the form of delirium ("delirious tremens"), Korsakov's syndrome (loss of orientation, amnesia, replacement of fictional events with real ones, etc.) and dementia.

  With further progression of hypoxia, blood pressure drops to 20-40 mm Hg. Art. and there is a coma with the extinction of brain functions. If blood pressure falls below 20 mm Hg. Art., then death occurs. In the period before death, a person may experience agonizing breathing in the form of rare convulsive attempts to inhale.

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  Degrees of hypoxia

  Depending on the severity of the course and the severity of oxygen deficiency, the following degrees of hypoxia are distinguished:

  • Light(usually detected only during physical exertion);
  • Moderate(phenomena of hypoxic syndrome appear at rest);
  • heavy(the phenomena of the hypoxic syndrome are strongly pronounced and there is a tendency to go into a coma);
  • critical(The hypoxic syndrome has led to coma or shock, which can end in death agony).

  Treatment of oxygen starvation

  In practice, mixed forms of hypoxia usually develop., as a result of which the treatment of oxygen deficiency in all cases should be comprehensive, aimed at simultaneously eliminating the causative factor and maintaining an adequate supply of cells of various organs and tissues with oxygen.

  To maintain a normal level of oxygen supply to cells in any type of hypoxia, hyperbaric oxygenation is used. This method consists in forcing oxygen into the lungs under pressure. Due to the high pressure, oxygen dissolves directly in the blood without binding to erythrocytes, which makes it possible to deliver it to organs and tissues in required quantity regardless of the activity and functional usefulness of hemoglobin. Thanks to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, it is possible not only to supply the organs with oxygen, but also to expand the vessels of the brain and heart, so that the latter can work at full strength.

  In addition to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in circulatory hypoxia, cardiac drugs and drugs that increase blood pressure are used. If necessary, a blood transfusion is performed (if blood loss has occurred that is not compatible with life).

  With hemic hypoxia, in addition to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the following therapeutic measures are carried out:

  • Transfusion of blood or red blood cells;
  • The introduction of oxygen carriers (Perftoran, etc.);
  • Hemosorption and plasmapheresis to remove toxic metabolic products from the blood;
  • The introduction of substances capable of performing the functions of respiratory chain enzymes (vitamin C, methylene blue, etc.);
  • The introduction of glucose as the main substance that gives cells energy for the implementation of vital processes;
  • The introduction of steroid hormones to eliminate the pronounced oxygen starvation of tissues.
  In principle, in addition to the above, to eliminate hypoxia, any treatment methods and drugs can be used, the action of which is aimed at restoring the normal functioning of all organs and systems, as well as maintaining the vital functions of the body.

  Prevention of hypoxia

  An effective prevention of hypoxia is to prevent conditions in which the body may experience oxygen starvation. To do this, you need to lead an active lifestyle, daily be in the fresh air, exercise exercise, eat well and treat existing diseases in a timely manner chronic diseases. When working in an office, you need to periodically ventilate the room (at least 2-3 times during the working day) in order to saturate the air with oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from it.