Mar 4, 2025 · Lividity refers to the bluish-purple discoloration of skin after death. It is a common sign associated with livor mortis, one of the four post-mortem signs of death, along with pallor mortis, algor mortis, and rigor mortis. Livor mortis is characterized by lividity and occurs within

Jan 6, 2025 · Livor mortis is the gravitational settling of blood which is no longer being pumped through the body after death, causing a bluish-purple discoloration of the skin. It is one of the post-mortem signs of death, along with pallor mortis, algor mortis, and rigor mortis.

Jun 2, 2021 · Each week, Osmosis shares a USMLE® Step 1-style practice question to test your knowledge of medical topics. Today’s case involves a 68-year-old man. Polymerase chain reaction testing reveals a mutation in a gene encoding for a non-receptor tyrosine kinase. Can you figure it out? A 68-year-old male comes to his provider’s office for evaluation of […]

Jan 6, 2025 · Pallor refers to the skin tone of the affected limb. Any deviation from the individual’s typical skin tone, especially blue or purple in color, can be indicative of compromised blood flow. A comparison should be made with the unaffected limb. Capillary refill time refers to the time it takes for blood to reperfuse to a body part after pressure.

Mar 4, 2025 · Pallor can present differently in various skin tones but can be assessed by comparing the color of the skin on both sides of the body and looking for unusually pale or purplish discoloration of the skin. To assess temperature, the back of the clinician's hands should be placed on the individual’s extremities, bilaterally.

Look for signs of adequate perfusion by observing the color of your client's extremities. Pallor, which may indicate poor arterial perfusion, will present as a pale color in clients with light skin; in clients with dark skin, pallor may present as a more ashen or gray color; while in clients with brown skin, pallor may have yellowish undertones.

Feb 4, 2025 · RBCs are typically a circular shape with a diameter of approximately 7.5 micrometers and lighter coloring in the center, referred to as central pallor. The term anisopoikilocytosis comes from the Greek words “aniso-”, which means uneven, and “poikilo-”, which means of a great variety.

Moreover, pallor and tachycardia are signs of anemia, which occurs when inflammation of gastric mucosa results in mucosal erosions, ulcers, and subsequent bleeding. So, keep in mind that, in some individuals, labs might reveal anemia or a positive fecal occult blood test.

Okay, the first abdominal cause is peptic ulcer disease or PUD. These patients typically report epigastric pain that worsens after eating, early satiety, and sometimes, hematemesis or melena. Physical exam might reveal epigastric tenderness and pallor. At this point, consider PUD and obtain a CBC and an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, or EGD.

Next, the physical exam will likely reveal tachycardia and conjunctival pallor, and in some cases, petechiae, purpura, and ecchymosis. Finally, the CBC will typically show a low red blood cell count, along with low hemoglobin and hematocrit, indicating that the patient has anemia.