Abnormally low levels of oxygen in the blood, typically measured by arterial blood gas analysis or pulse oximetry. Can cause shortness of breath, confusion, and tissue damage.
From Greek 'hypo' (under/below), 'oxys' (sharp/oxygen), and 'haima' (blood). The term emerged in the 20th century as technology developed to measure blood oxygen levels accurately, revolutionizing respiratory medicine.
Hypoxemia is like your blood becoming a poor delivery service for oxygen - even though your heart pumps normally, your tissues starve for oxygen. The invention of pulse oximetry in the 1970s made detecting hypoxemia as simple as clipping a device to your finger, preventing countless deaths from unrecognized low oxygen.
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