What leads to hypemic hypoxia?

Hypemic hypoxia occurs when there is a decrease in the amount of oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood, leading to inadequate oxygen delivery to the tissues, despite there being an adequate supply of oxygen in the air. This condition is typically caused by factors that impair the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, such as anemia, carbon monoxide poisoning, or other circumstances that affect hemoglobin's capacity to bind to oxygen.

In this context, the correct answer focuses on the quality of the blood in relation to oxygen transport. If the blood quality is insufficient—due to low hemoglobin levels or the presence of substances like carbon monoxide—then even if the lungs are receiving enough oxygen from the air, there will not be enough effective transport to meet the body’s needs.

Other choices may address different forms of hypoxia or other physiological issues but do not directly refer to the challenges in oxygen transport that are characteristic of hypemic hypoxia. For instance, having insufficient oxygen in the air pertains more to hypoxic hypoxia, heart pump failure relates to stagnant hypoxia, and an inability of cells to utilize oxygen describes histotoxic hypoxia.