P21.9: Birth asphyxia, unspecified
The child’s oxygen supply can be impaired by problems with breathing or with the circulation. The heart pumps blood through the blood vessels to the body. The blood then flows back to the heart through other blood vessels. Together, the heart and the blood vessels form the blood circulatory system. Blood supplies oxygen and nutrients to the tissue in the body.
If there are problems with the child’s breathing or circulation, too little oxygen, or none at all, will get into its body. The child’s organs may quickly stop working properly as a result. This particularly affects the lungs, heart and brain. This situation can be life-threatening. Different organs can get damaged.
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