Hypoxia and Medicine

What is hypoxia with regards to the respiratory system?

Public Comments

1. It usually means you are not getting all of the CO2 out of you're lungs when you exhale. Or your not getting enough O2 in when you inhale. Most people at my hospital with hypoxia are on serious Oxygen through a nasal cannula and require daily arterial blood gases to monitor the levels of CO2 in their blood. Hope this helps a bit maybe a doc will come along and fill in the details.
2. hypoxia is when you arent getting enough oxygen saturation when you breath. if your amount of oxygen intake is less than 96% you have mild hypoxia don't quote me **nasal cannula does not deliver "serious oxygen" only a maximum of 6liters of O2 per minute. possibly meant to say a nonrebreather if the need for O2 is serious enough?
3. Lack of oxygen. The normal human pulmonary circulation responds to hypoxia by vasoconstricting. This is known as "Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction", or "HPV" Instead of simply serving as a passive conduit between the two sides of the heart, an automatic pulmonary intravascular mechanism directs venous blood returning to the heart to better aerated areas of the lungs for optimal gas exchange.