Learn About Cerebral Hypoxia

What is the definition of Cerebral Hypoxia?

Cerebral hypoxia occurs when there is not enough oxygen getting to the brain. The brain needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to function.

Cerebral hypoxia refers to the largest parts of the brain, called the cerebral hemispheres. However, the term is often used to refer to a lack of oxygen supply to any part of or all of the brain.

What are the alternative names for Cerebral Hypoxia?

Hypoxic encephalopathy; Anoxic encephalopathy

What are the causes of Cerebral Hypoxia?

In cerebral hypoxia, sometimes only the oxygen supply is interrupted. This can be caused by:

  • Breathing in smoke (smoke inhalation), such as during a fire
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning
  • Choking
  • Diseases that prevent movement (paralysis) of the breathing muscles, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
  • High altitude exposure
  • Pressure on (compression) the windpipe (trachea)
  • Strangulation

In other cases, both oxygen and nutrient supply are stopped, caused by:

  • Cardiac arrest (when the heart stops pumping)
  • Cardiac arrhythmia (heart rhythm problems)
  • Complications of general anesthesia
  • Drowning
  • Illegal drug or medicine overdose
  • Injuries to a newborn that occurred before, during, or soon after birth, such as cerebral palsy
  • Prolonged seizure (status epilepticus)
  • Stroke
  • Very low blood pressure

Brain cells are very sensitive to a lack of oxygen. Some brain cells start dying less than 5 minutes after their oxygen supply disappears. As a result, brain hypoxia can rapidly cause severe brain damage or death.

What are the symptoms of Cerebral Hypoxia?

Symptoms of mild cerebral hypoxia include:

  • Change in attention (inattentiveness)
  • Poor judgment
  • Speech disorder
  • Uncoordinated movement

Symptoms of severe cerebral hypoxia include:

  • Complete unawareness and unresponsiveness (coma)
  • No breathing
  • No response of the pupils of the eye to light
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What are the current treatments for Cerebral Hypoxia?

Cerebral hypoxia is an emergency condition that needs to be treated right away. The sooner the oxygen supply is restored to the brain, the lower the risk for severe brain damage and death.

Treatment depends on the cause of the hypoxia. Basic life support is most important. Treatment involves:

  • Breathing assistance (mechanical ventilation) and oxygen
  • Regulating the heart rate and rhythm
  • Fluids, blood products, or medicines to raise blood pressure if it is low
  • Medicines or general anesthetics to calm seizures

Sometimes a person with cerebral hypoxia is cooled to slow down the activity of the brain cells and decrease their need for oxygen. However, the benefit of this treatment has not been firmly established.

Who are the top Cerebral Hypoxia Local Doctors?
Elizabeth A. Burkett
Family Medicine | General Practice | Internal Medicine
Family Medicine | General Practice | Internal Medicine

Palms Medical Group - High Springs

23476 NW 186th Ave, 
High Springs, FL 
 6.5 mi

Elizabeth Burkett is a General Practice specialist and an Internal Medicine provider in High Springs, FL. Dr. Burkett and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cerebral Hypoxia. Her top areas of expertise are High Cholesterol, Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young, Glucocorticoid-Remediable Aldosteronism, and Hypertension.

Intensive Care Medicine | Pulmonary Medicine
Intensive Care Medicine | Pulmonary Medicine

Florida Clinical Practice Association Inc

1549 Gale Lemerand Dr, 
Gainesville, FL 
 13.9 mi
Accepting New Patients

Andrew Bryant is an Intensive Care Medicine specialist and a Pulmonary Medicine provider in Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Bryant and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cerebral Hypoxia. His top areas of expertise are Pulmonary Hypertension, Cerebral Hypoxia, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Lymphadenectomy, and Endoscopy. Dr. Bryant is currently accepting new patients.

 
 
 
 
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Neonatology | Pediatrics
Neonatology | Pediatrics
1600 Sw Archer Rd, 
Gainesville, FL 
 14.0 mi
Accepting New Patients

Nahla Zaghloul is a Neonatologist and a Pediatrics provider in Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Zaghloul and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cerebral Hypoxia. Her top areas of expertise are Periventricular Leukomalacia, Cerebral Hypoxia, Apnea of Prematurity, and Pulmonary Hypertension. Dr. Zaghloul is currently accepting new patients.

What is the outlook (prognosis) for Cerebral Hypoxia?

The outlook depends on the extent of the brain injury. This is determined by how long the brain lacked oxygen, and whether nutrition to the brain was also affected.

If the brain lacked oxygen for only a brief period, a coma may be reversible and the person may have a full or partial return of function. Some people recover many functions, but have abnormal movements, such as twitching or jerking, called myoclonus. Seizures may sometimes occur, and may be continuous (status epilepticus).

Most people who make a full recovery were only briefly unconscious. The longer a person is unconscious, the higher the risk for death or brain death, and the lower the chances of recovery.

What are the possible complications of Cerebral Hypoxia?

Complications of cerebral hypoxia include a prolonged vegetative state. This means the person may have basic life functions, such as breathing, blood pressure, sleep-wake cycle, and eye opening, but the person is not alert and does not respond to their surroundings. Such people usually die within a year, although some may survive longer.

The length of survival depends partly on how much care is taken to prevent other problems. Major complications may include:

  • Bed sores
  • Clots in the veins (deep vein thrombosis)
  • Lung infections (pneumonia)
  • Malnutrition
When should I contact a medical professional for Cerebral Hypoxia?

Cerebral hypoxia is a medical emergency. Call 911 or the local emergency number immediately if someone is losing consciousness or has other symptoms of cerebral hypoxia.

How do I prevent Cerebral Hypoxia?

Prevention depends on the specific cause of hypoxia. Unfortunately, hypoxia is usually unexpected. This makes the condition somewhat difficult to prevent.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be lifesaving, especially when it is started right away.

What are the latest Cerebral Hypoxia Clinical Trials?
Physiologic Effects of Two Non-invasive Respiratory Support Therapies (continuous Positive Airway Pressure Vs High Flow Nasal Oxygenation) in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Summary: The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) consists on a lack of breath due to fluid overload in the lungs that is not produced by a heart desease. Some people with this condition may need to be intubated and connected to invasive mechanical ventilation, but less severe cases may need supplementary oxygen that can be delivered with non-invasive devices, such as CPAP (continuous positive airway...

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Phase II Randomized Window of Opportunity Trial of Chemoradiotherapy Alone Versus Combination With Metformin in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer

Summary: This is a prospective, single-center, phase II, randomized, window-of-opportunity trial initiated by researchers. The research hypothesis is that metformin can improve the level of hypoxia in locally advanced cervical cancer and further improve progression-free survival. The study aims to compare the improvement of tumor hypoxia with synchronous chemoradiotherapy with or without metformin, using C...

Who are the sources who wrote this article ?

Published Date: August 19, 2024
Published By: Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Department of Neurology, Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

What are the references for this article ?

Fugate JE, Wijdicks EFM. Anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 83.

Greer DM, Bernat JL. Coma, disorders of consciousness, and brain death. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 373.

Lumb AB, Thomas C. Hypoxia. In: Lumb AB, Thomas C, eds. Nunn and Lumb's Applied Respiratory Physiology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 23.