Calcium

 

Hypoxia

Living cells need oxygen to support the normal functioning of the cell.

Hypoxia is a process of decreasing oxygen supply to mitochondria, or the inability of mitochondria to absorb oxygen, and this situation may lead to poor cell performance.

Hypoxia leads to a decrease in energy production, hypoxia is a lack of oxygen in the body's tissue and not necessarily in the blood, and hypoxia in the blood is called hypoxia.

The way breathing occurs

For aerobic breathing to take place, oxygen must pass from the atmosphere to mitochondria, this process is complex and includes:

• Air passage from the atmosphere to the lungs.
• Passing oxygen from the lungs to the cardiovascular system.
• Oxygen is associated with hemoglobin in the blood.
• Transfer of oxygen to capillaries (Capillary bed).
• Transfer of oxygen through the cell to mitochondria, the region where oxidative phosphorylation (oxidative phosphorylation) occurs, the process of energy production in cells.

Oxidative phosphorylation occurs within mitochondria, at the end of which energy is produced in the form of the adenosine triphosphate molecule (ATP).

Symptoms of hypoxia

Symptoms and signs depend on the severity of hypoxia:

1. Symptoms of minor hypoxia

Hypoxia is characterized by the following symptoms:

• Skin discoloration in blue (Cyanosis), a bluish color of the skin and mucous membranes caused by an increase in the amount of Deoxyhemoglobin that appears in case of oxygen deficiency.
• Jamming the ability to think.
• Confusion.
• Lack of motor coordination.
• Fiddle.
• Rapid pulse.
• High blood pressure.

2. Serious hypoxia symptoms

Severe hypoxia is characterized by:

• Coma.
• Slow pulse.
• Low blood pressure.
• Heart rhythm disorder.

Peripheral blood vessels narrow.

There are many causes and factors of hypoxia and include:

• Hypoxemia, this situation may be the result of a decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen concentration in inhaled air, for example:

1. Breathing in the highlands.
2. Lung diseases, such as pneumonia, or pulmonary edema (lung edema).

• Anemia.
• Decrease in blood supply to capillaries, for example: impaired heart function.
• Inability to exploit oxygen by mitochondria due to severe infection, or cyanide poisoning.

Complications of hypoxia

Any defect at any stage of the breathing process can lead to hypoxia, if a hypoxic condition is not treated it can lead to anaerobic metabolisms that result in:

• Metabolic acidosis.
• Cell damage.
• Death.

Diagnosis of hypoxia

The diagnosis shall be as follows:

1. Physical Examination

The doctor monitors the patient's condition by hearing a heartbeat, looking at the color of the fingers and lips that may turn blue in the event of a lack of oxygen.

2. Laboratory Tests

Among the most prominent tests used are:

• Pulse oximetry: The level of oxygen in the blood is measured by the finger.
• Blood oxygen measurement examination: A sample of the patient's blood is taken, and the oxygen ratio is analyzed.
• Other breathing tests: A patient may be required to breathe in a specific tube to see how well they can breathe.

Treatment of hypoxia

Oxygen deficiency is treated as follows:

1. Initial oxygen deficiency treatment

Oxygen deficiency is treated by providing the patient with oxygen at a high concentration, and intensive treatment of hypoxia until the patient's life is saved.

2. Secondary oxygen deficiency treatment

Hypoxia that is not responsive to this treatment requires the patient to be transferred to the intensive care department, where there are appropriate remedies for this phenomenon, as follows:

• Positive end - expiratory pressure - PEEP.
• Mono-nitrogen oxide (NO).
• Lying on the patient's abdomen (Prone position).
• Extracorporeal oxygenation (ECMO - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation).

Prevention of hypoxia

Hypoxia is treated by:

• Practice deep breathing sports.
• Play yoga sport.
• Quit smoking.
• Drink enough water.
• Eat healthy food.