A patient has tissue hypoxia due to sepsis. This is classified as which type of hypoxia?

• A. Hypemic hypoxia
• B. Stagnant hypoxia
• C. Histotoxic hypoxia
• D. Infectious hypoxia

Answer: (B)

Stagnant hypoxia is when oxygen delivery to tissues is insufficient because blood flow is impaired, not because the blood lacks oxygen or the cells can’t use it. In sepsis, widespread inflammation causes vasodilation, capillary leak, and microvascular dysfunction, which disrupts normal perfusion and leads to uneven or reduced blood flow to tissues. Even with normal arterial oxygen content, the tissues don’t receive enough oxygen, producing tissue hypoxia consistent with stagnant hypoxia.

Hypemic hypoxia would involve reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood (like anemia or carbon monoxide poisoning) rather than impaired perfusion. Histotoxic hypoxia is when cells cannot utilize oxygen due to toxins (such as cyanide). Infectious hypoxia is not a standard classification.