air hunger

American  

noun

1. deep, rapid, and labored breathing caused by an increased respiratory drive due to abnormally low blood oxygen levels, as in severe heart failure or asthma.

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Example Sentences

The resulting sensation of breathlessness or air hunger, Liberles said, can be distressing, yet little is known about how it arises.

From Science Daily

“There’s a physiological response called air hunger,” Hiserodt told me.

From New York Times

Air hunger can feel like suffocation.

From Washington Times

Where the video showed Garner flailing on the ground, Persechino saw “air hunger” — Garner’s body reacting to the desperate need for oxygen.

From Washington Post

The patient, able to see though not to say much, died four days later in a hospital room with bipap and morphine to reduce his “air hunger.”

From New York Times