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Skin discoloration - bluish

• Overview
• Treatment

Alternative Names:

Lips - bluish; Fingernails - bluish; Cyanosis; Bluish lips and fingernails; Bluish skin

Home Care:

For cyanosis caused by exposure to cold, dress warmly when going outside or stay in a well-heated room.

Call your health care provider if:

Call your health care provider if you have any unexplained changes in the color of your skin or mucous membranes.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

Your health care provider will perform a physical examination, which includes listening to your breathing and heart sounds. In emergency situations (such as shock), the patient will be stabilized first.

Medical history questions may include:

• When did it develop?
• Did it develop suddenly?
• Has it been developing slowly?
• Are the lips blue?
• Are the nailbeds blue?
• Is the body blue all over?
• Have you had an exposure to cold?
• Have you suddenly gone to a high altitude?
• Have you inhaled anything?
• What other symptoms are also present?
• Is there difficulty breathing ?
• Is there ankle, feet, and leg swelling ?
• Is there a cough?
• Is there chest pain?

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

• Arterial blood gas analysis
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Chest x-ray
• ECG
• Measurement of blood oxygen by pulse oximetry

For shortness of breath and cyanosis, supplemental oxygen may be administered.

References:

Behrman RE, Kliegman RM, Jenson HB. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics . 17th ed. Philadelphia, Pa:Saunders; 2003.

Marx JA. Rosen's Emergency Medicine:Concepts and Clinical Practice . 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2005.

Woods WA, McCulloch MA. Cardiovascular emergencies in the pediatric patient. Emerg Med Clin North Am . November 2005;23:1233-1249.

• Review Date: 3/1/2007
• Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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