GC: n

S: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3619771 (last access: 15 June 2015); http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/en/resourcecentres/prematurebabies/aboutprematurebabies/brainandbehaviour/pages/asphyxia.aspx (last access: 15 June 2015).

N: 1. 1706, “stoppage of pulse, absence of pulse,” from Modern Latin, from Greek asphyxia “stopping of the pulse,” from a- “not” + sphyzein “to throb.” Obsolete in its original sense; the transferred sense of “suffocation” is from 1778, but it is a “curious infelicity of etymology” (Oxford English Dictionary) because victims of suffocation have a pulse for some time after breathing has stopped.
2. asphyxia, the failure or disturbance of the respiratory process brought about by the lack or insufficiency of oxygen in the brain. The unconsciousness that results sometimes leads to death.
Asphyxia can be caused by injury to or obstruction of breathing passageways, as in strangulation or the aspiration of food (choking) or large quantities of fluid (near-drowning or drowning). The aspiration of food or fluid can result in a shrunken and airless state of the lungs that is known as atelectasis, a condition that aggravates hypoxemia. Asphyxia can also be caused by suffocation, the inability of sufficient oxygen to reach the brain, as in carbon monoxide poisoning.
3. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention the movie Asphyxia (2014) directed by Alessandra Angeli.

S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=asphyxia (last access: 15 June 2015). 2. EncBrit – http://global.britannica.com/science/asphyxia (last access: 15 June 2015). 3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3497504/ (last access: 3 June 2016).

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S:

CR: rib cage