Asphyxia

Asphyxia is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body. In the absence of remedial action it will very rapidly lead to unconsciousness and death. Asphyxia is the same as suffocation and anoxia. Asphyxiation is the act of causing asphyxia, usually by suffocation.

Asphyxia in humans is a medical emergency.

Causes of asphyxia can include:

• Crushing or constriction of the chest or abdomen
• Choking
• Drowning
• Strangulation, or external constriction of the neck or throat, e.g. by a rope (as in hanging), hands, or a snake
• Reduction of the airways due to anaphylaxis or asthma
• Inhalation of vomit
• Positional asphyxia
• Contact with a cyanogenic compound
• The extremely dangerous and frequently lethal practice of erotic asphyxiation, also called "breath control play"; including autoerotic asphyxiation
• a seizure which stops breathing activity

Problems during childbirth can lead to the newborn experiencing asphyxia.

Prolonged asphyxia can result in brain damage even when it does not cause death.

See also

• hypoxia (medical)
• oxygen depletion (aquatic ecology)