Total lack of oxygen in inspired gases or in arterial blood, which may cause irreversible damage to nerve cells in the brain. Anoxic anoxia results from defective oxygenation of the blood, in particular the cerebral cortex, and ischemic (reduced blood) anoxia from slow peripheral circulation as can follow a congestive cardiac failure. Hypoxic-ischemic insult follows when there is evidence of reduced blood flow and oxygen. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is often used by to describe a condition in both full term and low birthweight infants, which often presents itself with a variety of medical and neurological problems associated with pre, post or perinatal events.
See Birth asphyxia, Hypoxia, Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), Hypoxemia, Ischemia, Myoglobin