Treatment
Hypoxia

Hypoxia is life-threatening. If you encounter an individual with hypoxia, establish an airway, begin assistive breathing, and call emergency medical services (EMS) immediately.

At the hospital, the individual’s respiration will need to be supported by a ventilator. Then, the blood pressure and heart rate will be aided by fluids, blood, or medicine. Any seizures must also be suppressed. All of this must take place before the underlying cause of the hypoxia can be treated.

Recovery is possible if the brain has not been deprived of oxygen for long. Most who recover were only unconscious for a short period of time. Sometimes, during recovery, patients may experience:

  • Amnesia
  • Personality regression
  • Hallucinations
  • Memory loss
  • Muscle spasms
  • Twitches