suffocation
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suffocation
[suf″ŏ-ka´shun]the stoppage of breathing; called also asphyxiation. If it is complete (no air at all reaches the lungs), the lack of oxygen and excess of carbon dioxide in the blood will cause almost immediate loss of consciousness. Though the heart continues to beat briefly, death will follow in a matter of minutes unless emergency measures are taken to get breathing started again. Suffocation can be caused by drowning, electric shock, gas or smoke poisoning, strangulation, or choking on a foreign body in the trachea. Once the cause of suffocation has been removed, the most important first aid measure is artificial respiration.
risk for suffocation a nursing diagnosis accepted by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, defined as a state in which an individual has an accentuated risk of suffocation.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
suf·fo·ca·tion
(sŭf'ŏ-kā'shŭn),The act or condition of suffocating or of asphyxiation.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
suf·fo·ca·tion
(sŭf'ŏ-kā'shŭn)The act or condition of suffocating or of asphyxiation.
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012
suffocation
Oxygen deprivation by mechanical obstruction to the passage of air into the lungs, usually at the level of the nose, mouth, LARYNX or TRACHEA.Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005
suf·fo·ca·tion
(sŭf'ŏ-kā'shŭn)The act or condition of suffocating or of asphyxiation.
Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012