Skin, Hair, & Nails Flashcards
You can see a lot of ___ ___ via the patient’s skin
red flags
Do NOT ____ the skin
overlook
If you overlook the skin, you could possible miss many ____ ____ regarding what’s going on inside the body.
important clues
What are the 3 skin clues?
Respiratory problems (circulatory & breathing)
Cardiac problems
Dehydration
Respiratory Signs in Skin
Pallor or “pale” (typically notice in eyes)
Cyanosis (bluish discoloration)
Clubbing
Decreased capillary refill
Blue or Purple discoloration
Cyanosis
Where can cyanosis be seen?
Lips, nose, cheeks, ears, and oral mucous membranes (inside of mouth)
Cyanosis is a late sign of what?
respiratory distress
Is cyanosis always a reliable indicator?
No
Why is cyanosis not always reliable?
Because some patients never turn blue if they are dead (mainly in anemic patient b/c they lack red blood cells)
If hemoglobin is ___, it’ll be impossible for them to become cyanotic.
< 5
Bulging of distal fingers and nail beds
Clubbing
In clubbing, what do the nail beds feel like?
spongy (lots of abnormal movement)
Clubbing can be associated with many diseases such as..?
pulmonary
cardiac
neoplasms
Is it possible for clubbing to go away?
could possibly go back to normal if the issue going on can be fixed
Normal Capillary Refill
Color should return within 2 seconds
Decreased Capillary Refill
Sluggish return indicates respiratory or cardiac dysfunction
Capillary Refill determines what?
the heart pumping blood back in
Cardiac Signs
All the respiratory signs
Cool Temperature (peripheral tissue not being filled w/warm blood)
Diaphoresis (sweating)
Edema
Fluid accumulation in the interstitial spaces of dependent areas (e.g., feet, ankles, sacrum)
Edema
Edema can be a sign if the ___ isn’t working well
heart
Procedure for checking for Edmea
Press firmly for 3-4 seconds on tibia or ankle malleolus & let go. If it dents or dips in, it is edema.
Bilateral edema can indicate….?
heart or kidney failure
Edema Scale:
What is 1+ ?
Mild Pitting
slight indentation; no perceptible swelling of the leg