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The body maintains a stable level of oxygen saturation for the most part by chemical processes of aerobic metabolism associated with breathing. Using the respiratory system , red blood cells, specifically the hemoglobin , gather oxygen in the lungs and distribute it to the rest of the body.
Tissue hypoxia refers to low levels of oxygen in the tissues of the body and the term hypoxia is a general term for low levels of oxygen. [2] Hypoxemia is usually caused by pulmonary disease whereas tissue oxygenation requires additionally adequate circulation of blood and perfusion of tissue to meet metabolic demands.
In congestive heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction will also increase pulmonary congestion, so further congestion caused by the redistribution of blood volume upon laying down will worsen any dyspnea. [5] Other theories exist for why PND occurs, especially in those where PND only occurs while sleeping.
It is designed to hold the lower jaw slightly down and forward relative to the natural, relaxed position. This position holds the tongue farther away from the back of the airway and may be enough to relieve apnea or improve breathing. Many people benefit from sleeping at a 30-degree elevation of the upper body [127] or higher, as if in a ...
A related condition, orthodeoxia, describes the clinical finding of low oxygen saturation in the upright position, which improves when lying down. [3] Platypnea and orthodeoxia (low oxygen levels when in upright posture) can co-exist, and this combination is named platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome. [4] [5] The syndrome is considered extremely rare ...
A pulse oximeter probe applied to a person's finger. A pulse oximeter is a medical device that indirectly monitors the oxygen saturation of a patient's blood (as opposed to measuring oxygen saturation directly through a blood sample) and changes in blood volume in the skin, producing a photoplethysmogram that may be further processed into other measurements. [4]
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. [3] [4] Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others.
Shortness of breath (SOB), known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity", and recommends evaluating dyspnea by assessing the intensity of its distinct ...