Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching body tissues.
  • noun Depletion of dissolved oxygen in aquatic environments to levels that are detrimental or fatal to aerobic organisms, often caused by eutrophication.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun pathology A condition in which tissues (especially the blood) are deprived of an adequate supply of oxygen; anoxia
  • noun A reduced concentration of dissolved oxygen in an aquatic environment.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun oxygen deficiency causing a very strong drive to correct the deficiency

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Unsuspected obstructive fetal neck masses often prove fatal because of an inability to secure an airway and ventilate the neonate, which results in hypoxia and acidosis.

    Giant Neck Masses (GNM), Cervical Teratoma 2010

  • Any good thing can be harmful -- even something like water -- too much water can be poison its called hypoxia-- too much testing can also be poison.

    On being connected: George Siemen's presentation today. 2007

  • Any good thing can be harmful -- even something like water -- too much water can be poison its called hypoxia-- too much testing can also be poison.

    Archive 2007-02-01 2007

  • The pilot experienced what is known as "hypoxia," and had to return to base.

    FOXNews.com Jennifer Griffin 2011

  • As a result there is reduction of oxygen supply to the body parts, known as hypoxia, which is the main complication in such conditions.

    Zee News : India National 2008

  • As a result there is reduction of oxygen supply to the body parts, known as hypoxia, which is the main complication in such conditions.

    Zee News : India National 2008

  • The leading culprit is thought to be mega-farms in the Midwest, whose nitrate-filled fertilizers run off into the Mississippi River and spill into the Gulf, where they feed massive algae blooms that starve the ocean of oxygen when they decompose (a process known as hypoxia).

    Chris Kromm: Why the Gulf Oil Disaster Is Far From Over 2010

  • The Redwood City, Calif., company has been testing the treatment, which is activated under a metabolic condition typical of cancer cells known as hypoxia, for other cancers.

    RTI Falls 6.9%; Blyth and Quiksilver Slide 2010

  • In chapter 1, I introduced the concept of cytopathic hypoxia, which is seen in acute sepsis and septic shock, as a model for accelerated aging.

    Forever Young M.D. Nicholas Perricone 2010

  • The leading culprit is thought to be mega-farms in the Midwest, whose nitrate-filled fertilizers run off into the Mississippi River and spill into the Gulf, where they feed massive algae blooms that starve the ocean of oxygen when they decompose (a process known as hypoxia).

    Chris Kromm: Why the Gulf Oil Disaster Is Far From Over 2010

Comments

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  • What happens in a jetliner that experiences an explosive cabin depressurization when cruising at high altitude. If you don't get supplemental oxygen ASAP it results in unconsciousness and death (or catatonia). Above 50,000 ft. pilots are required to wear pressure suits (a la the astronauts) because you can't do ANYTHING fast enough to prevent unconsciousness and death. Any course in pilot training has an extensive curriculum on this hazard of aviation. The most notorious modern occurrence of hypoxia was the tragic death of pro golfer Payne Stewart, along with other passengers and crew of a corporate jet that had a slow loss of pressurization coupled with a malfunction in the emergency oxygen system in l999.

    January 6, 2007