asphyxia asphyxia asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. there are many circumstances that can induce asphyxia, all of which are characterized by the inability of a person to acquire sufficient oxygen through breathing for an extended period of time. asphyxia can cause coma or death. asphyxiaother namesasphyxiationthe neck contains several vulnerable targets for compression, including the carotid arteries.specialtycritical care medicinecomplicationscomafrequency9.8 million unintentional worldwide (2015)deaths35,600 worldwide (2015) in 2015, about 9.8 million cases of unintentional suffocation occurred which resulted in 35,600 deaths. the word asphyxia is from ancient greek α- "without" and σφύξις sphyxis, "squeeze" (throb of heart). causes situations that can cause asphyxia include but are not limited to: airway obstruction, the constriction or obstruction of airways, such as from asthma, laryngospasm, or simple blockage from the presence of foreign materials; from being in environments where oxygen is not readily accessible: such as underwater, in a low oxygen atmosphere, or in a vacuum; environments where sufficiently oxygenated air is present, but cannot be adequately breathed because of air contamination such as excessive smoke. other causes of oxygen deficiency include but are not limited to: acute respiratory distress syndrome carbon monoxide inhalation, such as that from a car exhaust and the smoke produced by a lit cigarette: carbon monoxide has a higher affinity than oxygen to the hemoglobin in the blood's red blood corpuscles, bonding with it tenaciously, and, in the process, displacing oxygen and preventing the blood from transporting oxygen around the body contact with certain chemicals, including pulmonary agents (such as phosgene) and blood agents (such as hydrogen cyanide) drowning drug overdose exposure to extreme low pressure or vacuum from spacesuit damage (see space exposure) hanging, whether suspension or short drop hanging self-induced hypocapnia by hyperventilation, as in shallow water or deep water blackout and the choking game inert gas asphyxiation congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, or primary alveolar hypoventilation, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system in which a patient must consciously breathe; although it is often said that persons with this disease will die if they fall asleep, this is not usually the case respiratory diseases sleep apnea a seizure which stops breathing activity strangling breaking the wind pipe prolonged exposure to chlorine gas smothering smothering is a mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the mouth and/or nostrils, for instance, by covering the mouth and nose with a hand, pillow, or a plastic bag. smothering can be either partial or complete, where partial indicates that the person being smothered is able to inhale some air, although less than required. in a normal situation, smothering requires at least partial obstruction of both the nasal cavities and the mouth to lead to asphyxia. smothering with the hands or chest is used in some combat sports to distract the opponent, and create openings for transitions, as the opponent is forced to react to the smothering. in some cases, when performing certain routines, smothering is combined with simultaneous compressive asphyxia. one example is overlay, in which an adult accidentally rolls over onto an infant during co-sleeping, an accident that often goes unnoticed and is mistakenly thought to be sudden infant death syndrome. other accidents involving a similar mechanism are cave-ins or when an individual is buried in sand or grain. in homicidal cases, the term burking is often ascribed to a killing method that involves simultaneous smothering and compression of the torso. the term "burking" comes from the method william burke and william hare used to kill their victims during the west port murders. they killed the usually intoxicated victims by sitting on their chests and suffocating them by putting a hand over their nose and mouth, while using the other hand to push the victim's jaw up. the corpses had no visible injuries, and were supplied to medical schools for money. compressive asphyxia