Skin Discoloration - Bluish

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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:

• time pattern
  • When did it develop?
  • Did it develop suddenly?
  • Has it been developing slowly?
• quality
  • Are the lips blue?
  • Are the nailbeds blue?
  • Is the body blue all over?
• aggravating factors
  • Have you had an exposure to cold?
  • Have you suddenly gone to a high altitude?
  • Have you inhaled anything?
• other
  • 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