What Is Compression Asphyxia?

Compression asphyxia happens if too much external force on your chest prevents breathing, which usually occurs in large crowds. It takes about one to two minutes for a person's blood oxygen levels to fall enough to cause a loss of consciousness. Cardiac arrest, or the sudden loss of heart function, can quickly if blood oxygen levels are too low. Humans can only survive for four minutes without breathing before permanent brain damage occurs.

Types of asphyxiation include mechanical, perinatal (birth), and traumatic asphyxia. Compression asphyxia is a type of mechanical asphyxia in which a physical force outside of the body deprives it of oxygen.

Asphyxiation causes symptoms like an inability to speak, bluish skin color, and trouble breathing. Call 911 right away if someone's experiencing compression asphyxia. You can perform chest compressions and rescue breathing while waiting for medical attention to arrive. Read on to learn about compression asphyxia, including how it happens, symptoms, and more.

What Is Asphyxiation? 

It's important to first understand how breathing works to understand asphyxiation. Air enters the lungs when you breathe it in through your nose or mouth. Your lungs then pull out the oxygen and send it through your blood vessels to your vital organs, like your brain and heart.

Asphyxiation happens when your body is deprived of oxygen. The human body cannot handle being without oxygen for long. Humans can only survive four minutes without oxygen before permanent brain damage occurs.

Carbon dioxide, which you usually breathe out, builds up in your lungs. You cannot take in enough oxygen to help support your cells, quickly leading to organ failure and brain death. Asphyxiation is fatal if the obstruction is not relieved.

Types of Asphyxiation

There are several types of asphyxiation, which differ based on what deprives the body of oxygen. Types of asphyxiation include:

• Mechanical asphyxia: A physical force on the outside of the body prevents you from breathing. Compression asphyxia is a type of mechanical asphyxia. Certain positions can also impair breathing and cut off oxygen supply.
• Perinatal (birth) asphyxia: Asphyxiation can affect babies before, during, or after birth. Compression of the umbilical cord, for example, can reduce blood flow. Low blood pressure causes the baby to not get enough oxygen.
• Traumatic asphyxia: This is compression of the thoracic cavity, which includes vital organs like the heart, lungs, and esophagus. Traumatic asphyxia forces blood from your heart to flow through the veins in your brain and neck. This type of asphyxiation is typically seen in motor vehicle accidents.

Symptoms

Someone who's experiencing compression asphyxia may develop symptoms like:

• An inability to speak
• Breathing noisily or making high-pitched sounds
• Coughing weakly
• Cyanosis, or a bluish skin color
• Loss of consciousness
• Trouble breathing

Causes

Compression asphyxia happens if there's an external force that limits the ability of your chest to expand and for air to get into your lungs. You cannot breathe if you cannot open your lungs. This type of asphyxiation typically happens in a large crowd of people, in which the weight of others can crush you.

Normal blood oxygen levels are typically 96% to 99%. Compression asphyxia causes blood oxygen levels to decrease quickly, usually within one to two minutes. People can lose consciousness if blood oxygen levels reach 56%, though this number can vary from person to person, depending on if you have an underlying health condition. Cardiac arrest, or the sudden loss of heart function, occurs if there's not enough oxygen in the blood.

Diagnosis

It's essential to call 911 and see a healthcare provider right away if someone experiences asphyxiation. Compression asphyxia is a medical emergency and is fatal if untreated. Adults who cannot breathe will typically be unable to talk and clutch their throats. Infants who cannot breathe may have a weak cough or cry.

A healthcare provider will conduct a physical exam and check the airways to assess breathing. They usually do not need to conduct tests to diagnose asphyxiation, but some tools may include:

• Bronchoscopy: A tube inserted through the mouth and into the trachea (tube that carries air to and from the lungs) and bronchial tubes (airways in the lungs)
• Imaging tests: X-rays and computerized tomography (CT) scans, which use electromagnetic waves to create pictures of your airways
• Laryngoscopy: A tube inserted through the mouth and into the back of the throat and larynx (voice box)
  

Treatments

Compression asphyxia is not always deadly. Asphyxiation requires immediate medical attention and treatment to halt the damage and restore breathing.

Treatments may include:

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): This technique helps maintain blood flow. You may perform CPR by making chest compressions until medical attention arrives.
• Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation: You may stimulate breathing if you have been properly trained. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation helps deliver oxygen to the lungs if a person has stopped breathing.
• Oxygen therapy: A healthcare provider may administer oxygen through a breathing tube, oxygen mask, or ventilator to help restore blood oxygen levels.

Prevention

It's important to be careful and mindful of your surroundings if you are in a large crowd to prevent compression asphyxia. Here are some ways to stay vigilant:

• Get low if there's a fire. Heat and smoke rise, which can impair breathing
• Get to the edge of a crowd by moving diagonally through it, but do not resist force
• Keep calm and curl up into a ball if you fall to the ground. Get to your feet as soon as you are able.
• Make a note of where emergency exits and emergency medical services are located
• Pay attention to your surroundings
• Place your hands in front of your chest and plant your feet firmly on the ground
• Stay on your feet
• Talk to friends and family about where to meet in case of an emergency

When To Contact a Healthcare Provider 

Call 911 right away if someone's experiencing compression asphyxia. Perform chest compressions or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to maintain blood flow and breathing until medical attention arrives.

Injury to the larynx may occur as a result of asphyxiation. Contact a healthcare provider in the days after compression asphyxia if the person has:

• A cough that does not go away
• Difficulty breathing
• Fever
• Trouble swallowing or speaking
• Wheezing

A Quick Review

Compression asphyxia happens if too much external force on your chest deprives the body of oxygen. It typically occurs in large crowds. Symptoms include breathing noisily or making high-pitched sounds, having a bluish skin color, and losing consciousness.

If someone experiences compression asphyxia, call 911 right away and perform CPR while waiting for medical attention to arrive. Permanent brain damage can occur after four minutes without oxygen. You can prevent compression asphyxia by staying vigilant in large crowds.