A young patient is experiencing epiglottitis. He is working hard to breathe, has stridorous respirations, and is extremely hypoxic. His skin is cyanotic and his pulse is rapid but strong. What is the most likely cause (not result) of the poor delivery of oxygen to the cells?

Pathophysiology is a medical science that studies how diseases affect the body's systems. It combines the study of pathology (the causes and effects of disease) and physiology (how the body's systems function).

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