Chapter 36: Cyanosis

Bluish discoloration of the skin and/or mucous membranes are usually due to elevated quantity of reduced hemoglobin (>4 g/dL) in the capillary blood vessels. Findings are most apparent in the lips, nail beds, ears, and malar eminences. Cyanosis depends on absolute, not relative, quantity of desaturated hemoglobin, so may be less evident in pts with severe anemia, and more notable in pts with polycythemia.

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