Skin discoloration - bluish

Alternative Names

Home Care

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

When to Contact a Medical Professional

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

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?

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

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.