Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers - Hypoxia/Anoxia

The medical terms hypoxia and anoxia mean ‘deficient in oxygen’ (hypoxia) or ‘no oxygen’ (anoxia). When your brain suffers from hypoxia/anoxia, minor to severe brain damage can occur unless the oxygen flow is restored quickly. This is because it takes only about three minutes for the majority of your brain cells to die from lack of oxygen.

What Causes Hypoxia/Anoxia?

A lack of oxygen to the brain can happen for many reasons:

• Near drowning
• Choking or blocked airways
• Reduced blood flow (oxygen) to the brain due to a heart attack, stroke, respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest (this blood flow restriction is called ‘ischemia’)
• Altitude sickness
• Severe injury to the lungs that prevents them from oxygenating the blood
• Medication overdoses

Examples of Hypoxia/Anoxia Liability

If the lack of oxygen to the brain is the result of someone's negligence, the responsible party can be sued for compensatory damages. Here are some scenarios:

• A baby suffers from a lack of oxygen to the brain because the doctor doesn’t perform a cesarean section when he should have. This is considered medical negligence.
• A child drowns in a pool because the lifeguard wasn’t paying attention. This would be considered a wrongful death.
• Failure to diagnose a stroke that led to hypoxia and subsequent brain damage.
• A patient receives an overdose of medication that causes a respiratory arrest or respiratory depression.

If you or a loved one have suffered from injury-inducing hypoxia/anoxia due to the recklessness of someone else, contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation. Our nationally recognized brain injury lawyers will thoroughly examine the details of your case and determine whether a lawsuit could be filed.

Our office is in Phoenix, but we can speak with you on the phone if you live outside Arizona. Don't hesitate to call or email us. We can investigate the brain injury however it occurred, and gather information to build your case.