ischemia
Americannoun
Usage
What does ischemia mean? Ischemia is a shortage of blood supply to a part of the body because of a blockage or because an artery (blood vessel) is too tight. Proper blood flow is important for many things, including for circulating oxygen throughout the body, which means that ischemia is often a serious problem. The word is typically used in a medical context to refer to insufficient blood flow to major organs, which can cause significant health problems, such as a heart attack or stroke. The adjective form ischemic is used when describing specific cases of blood shortage, such as ischemic heart disease or an ischemic stroke.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ischemia
First recorded in 1855–60; from Greek ísch(ein) “to suppress, check” + -emia
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Other diseases that can cause CRS include sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, COVID-19 infection, and ischemia.
From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2024
A fraction of patients may eventually develop critical limb ischemia, which can result in an amputation, but this is less likely if the disease is diagnosed early and treated appropriately.
From Salon • Jul. 3, 2023
That includes surgeries for 10 urgent conditions including various cancers, infections and ischemia that declined from 90,656 to 40,093 procedures over the same period.
From Washington Times • Oct. 21, 2022
They included a 63-year-old with diabetes and cerebral ischemia, a 35-year-old with a spinal fracture and artificial vertebrate, and sole caregivers to disabled people.
From Washington Post • Sep. 25, 2022
Multiple incisions are not useful for the removal of venom but may be employed under hospital conditions to reduce subcutaneous tensions and ischemia.
From Natural History of Cottonmouth Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscovorus (Reptilia) by Burkett, Ray D.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
