Cyanosis
Definition
- Faintly or frankly bluish or ashen discoloration typically of the nailbeds, lips, mouth, earlobes due to a high concentration of deoxygenated hemoglobin
- Subtypes
- Acrocyanosis - cyanosis of the palms, soles, fingers and/or toes; it can be a normal finding due to, for instance, peripheral vasoconstriction due to cold or the result of pathology like peripheral vascular disease
- Central cyanosis - cyanosis of the trunk, head, and/or mouth that is never normal
Causes
Neonates / Infants
- Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN)[1]
- Congenital heart syndromes
- Transposition of the great vessels
- Tetraology of Fallot
- Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
- Hypoplastic left heart
- Truncus arteriosus
- Tricuspid atresia
- Pulmonary atresia
- Atrioventricular canal defect
- Airway conditions
- Airway foreign body
- Diaphragmatic hernia
- Croup
- Pneumonia
- Bronchiolitis
- Reactive airway disease
- Choanal atresia
- Laryngomalacia
- Vocal cord paralysis
- Tracheal stenosis
- Cystic hygroma
- Hemangioma
- Metabolic abnormalities
- Polycythemia
- Methemoglobinemia
Adults
- Hypoxia[2]
- Hypopnea / Hypoventilation
- Pneumonia
- Valvular heart disease
- ASD / VSD
- Pulmonary embolism / DVT
- Myocardial infarction
- Vascular disease
- Pulmonary HTN
- COPD
- Pneumothorax
- Hypoperfusion
- CHF
- Methemoglobinemia
- Polycythemia
- Sulfhemoglobinemia
- Raynauds
- Administration of methylene blue
- ↑ Steinhorn RH. Evaluation and management of the cyanotic neonate. Clin Pediatr Emerg Med. 2008 Sep;9(3):169-175. doi: 10.1016/j.cpem.2008.06.006. PMID: 19727322; PMCID: PMC2598396
- ↑ Adeyinka A, Kondamudi NP. Cyanosis. [Updated 2021 Sep 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482247/