Hypoxia and Medicine

what is an ischemia?

Public Comments

1. It usually refers to a lack of flow such as a lack of blood flow to the heart or brain.
2. Ishaemia is the term used to describe when tissues in the body do not receive oxygen. In terms of heart disease, angina and heart attacks come under the term Ischaemic Heart Disease. In angina, there is a small narrowing of the blood vessels that supply the heart itself with it's oxygen. At rest this normally causes no problem, the vessel is still patent and can deliver oxygen. During exercise however, the oxygen deman of the heart increases and the narrowed artery cannot meet the oxygen demand. The heart tissue becomes ischaemic- you feel it as central chest pain. You then stop the exercise and you rapidly feel better since the heart has returned to a low demand of oxygen. The heart is still okay after this as it was only temporary ischaemia. In a heart attack, the vessel suddenly becomes completely blocked. The heart can get no oxygen whatsoever. The heart tissue will begin to die after a few minutes due to the lack of oxygen. You experience intense central crushing pain which does not go away with rest. After a heart attack, a section of the heart muscle has died and cannot be healed again. Depending on which heart vessel got blocked depends on the severity of the heart attack. If it was a minor vessel, the person can go on to lead a normal life again. If it was a larger, important vessel, the person can die instantly.
3. Ischemia is an injury caused by lack of blood flow. This what often causes heart attacks and cardiac arrest.
4. Insufficiency of blood supply to an organ (eg. heart) in the body is called ischemia.