Respiratory desaturation
Respiratory desaturation or hypoxemia is the medical term that refers to low blood oxygen saturation that means reduced amount of oxygen in the blood stream.
But, what is oxygen saturation?
Oxygen saturation is a proportion of the number of hemoglobin molecules that are bound to the oxygen molecule in our body.
What is respiratory desaturation?
Respiratory desaturation is the point at which oxygen molecules bound to your hemoglobin dips below the optimal level. Any condition that disturbs your body’s capacity to deliver enough oxygen to your blood can cause respiratory desaturation. This can shift from mild to fatal depending upon how low your levels drop.
Today we are going to discuss the causes and complications of Respiratory desaturation.
There are 7 major causes of hypoxemia:
VQ mismatch – ventilation means getting rid of carbon
Q is a fancy word saying perfusion that is delivering blood to the lung. Blood goes to the pulmonary artery to the capillaries lining the alveoli. So, the amount of blood that goes to the lung area
So if you have a mismatch between these two entities then you won’t get enough oxygen in your blood stream.
For example: it happens in the case of pulmonary edema, when the lungs are full of fluid and the gaseous exchange which means your lungs cannot ventilate properly however the blood stream is just fine as it is not blocked and vice-versa. If you have pulmonary embolism so blood cannot flow freely but the ventilation mechanism is just okay. It causes a VQ mismatch and result in low blood oxygen levels.
Shunt
A shunt is perfusion without ventilation. Blood keeps flowing but there is no way to ventilate that area. You cannot get that oxygen because there is no gaseous exchange happening. It is mostly similar to VQ mismatch but there is no ventilation specifically.
Hypoventialation
that means you are not breathing enough and your organs are also not getting enough blood supply that affects their function.
Who does that?
Who are taking drugs or opiate that gives the signal to not breathe and the brain follows those instructions resulting in hypoxia.
Emphysema
Reduced oxygen flow from lungs to the bloodstream. This is a condition in which your alveoli do not function properly or die off. It can be caused by smoking. Fluid filled pulmonary edema. Ex – covid, interstitial lung disease, autoimmune lung disease. It is reduction of the diffusing capacity.
Altitude
It less common among all. As you travel high, the amount of oxygen molecule in the air is less and your body wants to compensate and make more haemoglobin to get oxygen traveled in the body faster, but that also doesn’t last long and people get hypoxemia.
Heart defects
Your heart may not be able to pump the blood with enough force to reach all the organs. Oxygen deficiency in organs can lead to cell death.
Sleep apnea:
some people have this condition in which breathing starts and stops over and again while sleeping.
Complications
Low blood supply to different organs can lead to different consequences and complications.
When the blood supply is low in brain, it can lead to cerebral vascular insufficiency that can cause stroke or other disabilities.
Same is the condition with other vital organs. For example: It can jeopardize heart and lead to cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction or heart failure.