Asphyxiation Quiz
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Blacking out
Becoming listless and unenergetic
Ate toy/s
Shortness of breath
Face is pale
Pale face with blue lips
Still pale
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Asphyxiation?
Suffocation (asphyxiation) occurs when the body doesn't receive enough oxygen. The most common causes are allergic reactions (throat closes up from swelling), drowning and foreign objects caught in the airway. Without quick intervention, it can result in loss of consciousness, brain damage, or death.
Typical Symptoms of Asphyxiation
- Accidentally swallowed something
- Fainting
- Face is persistently pale and lips are purplish-blue
- Face turned pale transiently
- Face is persistently pale
- Less responsive or fewer facial expressions lately
- Wheezing or whistling sounds when breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
Diagnostic Questions for Asphyxiation
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Did you swallow any small objects?
- Have you fainted recently?
- Do you have pale face and purplish-blue lips constantly?
- Did your face briefly turn pale?
- Is your face always pale?
Treatment of Asphyxiation
Treatment for asphyxiation is an emergency and is focused first on restoring blood and oxygen supply to the body through CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Furthermore, treatment includes addressing the underlying cause such as the Heimlich maneuver to get rid of foreign bodies in the airway or medications to treat an allergic reaction.
Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
Content updated on Mar 31, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Accidentally swallowed a foreign object
- Foreign object stuck in the throat
- A bone stuck in the throat
- Feel anxiety suddenly
- Swallowed my false teeth
- Swallowed a small thing
- Felt nauseous then fainted
- Swallowed a battery
- Swallowed a toy
- Sweating followed by fainting
- Fainting followed by a headache
- Fainting when walking
- Chest pain with fainting
- Feeling faint before losing consciousness
- Confused or drowsy for a while after recovering consciousness
See full list
Symptoms Related to Asphyxiation
Diseases Related to Asphyxiation
FAQs
Q.
Is It Gasping or Dying? Why the Body Does Agonal Breathing & Urgent Next Steps
A.
Agonal breathing is abnormal gasping that signals a life-threatening emergency, most often cardiac arrest, and it is not effective breathing; call emergency services, start CPR immediately, and use an AED if available. There are several factors to consider. See below for key signs that distinguish agonal from normal breathing, common causes like overdose, stroke, and asphyxiation, when hospice-related gasping may occur, and many more details that could change your next steps.
References:
* Viana R, et al. The 'Gasp' Reflex and Resuscitation: A Narrative Review. Emerg Med Int. 2022 Aug 10;2022:3657803. doi: 10.1155/2022/3657803. PMID: 36015509; PMCID: PMC9384729.
* Semeraro F, et al. Agonal gasps in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are associated with a higher incidence of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and improved survival. Resuscitation. 2012 Jun;83(6):687-92. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2012.02.007. Epub 2012 Feb 28. PMID: 22425027.
* Axelsson A, et al. Bystander recognition of agonal breathing in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 2011 Nov;82(11):1381-6. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2011.08.006. Epub 2011 Sep 2. PMID: 21889814.
* Hupfl M, et al. Agonal breathing: an important marker to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation by bystanders. Eur J Emerg Med. 2015 Feb;22(1):31-6. doi: 10.1097/MEJ.0000000000000109. PMID: 24792031.
* Perkins GD, et al. Agonal respirations in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: prevalence and significance. Resuscitation. 2005 Jan;64(1):25-9. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2004.09.006. PMID: 15571904.
Q.
Blue Skin? Why Methemoglobinemia Blocks Oxygen & Your Medical Next Steps
A.
Methemoglobinemia turns normal hemoglobin into methemoglobin so oxygen cannot reach your tissues, causing blue or gray lips, skin, or nails that often do not improve with oxygen. It may be inherited or triggered by exposures like benzocaine sprays, nitrates in well water, certain antibiotics, or industrial chemicals; urgent medical evaluation with co-oximetry is key, and treatment usually involves stopping the trigger, oxygen support, and methylene blue, with special considerations for infants and people with G6PD deficiency. There are several factors to consider for your next steps and when to go to the ER, so see the complete guidance below.
References:
* Ludlow J, Sapkota U. Methemoglobinemia. [Updated 2024 Feb 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. PMID: 35015409.
* Skold A, Ryden E, Ahlstrom I, Ohlsson A. Methemoglobinemia-A Rare but Serious Condition. J Clin Pharmacol. 2022 Mar;62(3):301-313. PMID: 34661858.
* Lee-Potter C, De Jesus P. Methemoglobinemia. [Updated 2023 Jul 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. PMID: 32491560.
* Pace MA, Raftery KR. Methemoglobinemia: Diagnosis and Treatment. J Pediatr Health Care. 2020 Jan-Feb;34(1):e1-e4. PMID: 31331828.
* Fay R, Eisenberg M, Marraffa J. Methemoglobinemia: An Update for the Clinician. Clin Pediatr Emerg Med. 2017 Mar;18(1):15-22. PMID: 28690184.
Q.
Terrified to Act? How to Perform CPR and Medically Approved Life-Saving Steps
A.
How to perform CPR, step by step: ensure the scene is safe, check responsiveness and breathing, call emergency services, start hands-only chest compressions in the center of the chest at 100 to 120 per minute at least 2 inches deep with full recoil, and use an AED as soon as available; add rescue breaths only if trained. There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more about child and infant differences, choking relief, the 30:2 ratio, when to stop, legal protections, preparedness, emotional aftercare, and when to speak with a doctor, which can affect your next steps.
References:
* Panchal AR, Bartos JA, Cabañas JG, Donnino MW, Drennan IR, Grossestreuer AV, Halverson JJ, Hopkins E, Leary M, Link MS, McMullan PW Jr, Mosesso VN Jr, O'Neil EE, Rossano JW, Schmidt MR, Shuster M, Stubbs BA, Thornton T, Wells M, White LJ, Hazinski MF. Part 3: Adult Basic and Advanced Life Support: 2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Circulation. 2020 Oct 20;142(16_suppl_2):S366-S468. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000916. PMID: 33080064.
* Ringh M, Rosenqvist M, Johansson P, Herlitz J, Westman J, Svensson L, et al. Fear of harming the patient and legal aspects of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Resuscitation. 2017 Jan;110:1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2016.10.007. Epub 2016 Oct 18. PMID: 27769970.
* Ong ME, Choo SW, Poh BY, Pek PP, Tham LP, Chia P, et al. Hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation for adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Resuscitation. 2021 Mar;160:13-22. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2021.01.002. Epub 2021 Jan 14. PMID: 33454477.
* Perkins GD, Couper K, Smyth M, Quinn T, Nolan JP. The role of the first responder in the chain of survival. Resuscitation. 2017 Jan;110:11-12. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2016.09.020. Epub 2016 Sep 28. PMID: 27693527.
* Hasselqvist-Ax I, Riva E, Herlitz J, Rosenqvist M, Hollenberg J, Nordberg P, et al. Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation by bystanders increase survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Circulation. 2015 Mar 24;131(14):1257-65. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.013565. Epub 2015 Jan 21. PMID: 25605634.
Q.
What Happens When You Die? The Medical Reality & Medically Approved Next Steps
A.
Medically, death is the irreversible loss of brain function and can be declared after permanent cardiac arrest or brain death; oxygen stops, consciousness fades within seconds, and the body then cools, blood settles, and muscles stiffen in predictable stages. There are several factors to consider for your next steps, including when to call emergency services or start CPR, when to speak to a doctor, and how hospice, pain control, advance directives, and prevention can guide care; see below for complete details that can shape your healthcare journey.
References:
* Wijdicks, E. F. M. (2018). Brain death: A review of the current evidence. *Critical Care Medicine*, *46*(1), 1-8.
* Greer, D. M., et al. (2020). The World Brain Death Project: Global Consensus Guidelines for the Determination of Brain Death/Death by Neurologic Criteria. *JAMA*, *324*(11), 1078-1097.
* Clark, B., et al. (2018). End-of-life care: The role of the physician. *Postgraduate Medical Journal*, *94*(1107), 3-10.
* Lomas, C., et al. (2017). Organ Donation After Brain Death: Medical Criteria and Ethical Considerations. *Transplantation Proceedings*, *49*(10), 2269-2273.
* Stub, D., & Anstey, M. (2023). Prognostication after cardiac arrest. *Current Opinion in Critical Care*, *29*(2), 125-130.
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Sauvageau A, Boghossian E. Classification of asphyxia: the need for standardization. J Forensic Sci. 2010 Sep;55(5):1259-67. doi: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01459.x. Epub 2010 Jun 17. PMID: 20561144.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20561144/Soar J, Becker LB, Berg KM, Einav S, Ma Q, Olasveengen TM, Paal P, Parr MJA. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in special circumstances. Lancet. 2021 Oct 2;398(10307):1257-1268. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01257-5. Epub 2021 Aug 26. PMID: 34454688.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34454688/