A ‘blue baby’ is an informal term for a newborn or infant who has a blue or purple tinge to the skin, lips or fingernails, known as cyanosis. Central cyanosis occurs when the level of deoxygenated haemoglobin in the arterial blood is elevated, giving the blood a darker colour that shows through the skin. In … Read more
Blue bloater is an older clinical term describing one of two classically described patterns of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The blue bloater pattern is characterised by cyanosis (bluish discolouration from chronically low blood oxygen levels), oedema (fluid retention causing swelling, the ‘bloating’), and relatively less severe breathlessness at rest compared to advanced emphysema. The … Read more
A jelly-like mass of blood tissue formed by clotting factors in the blood. Clots stop the flow of blood from an injury. Clots can also form inside an artery when the artery’s walls are damaged by atherosclerotic buildup, possibly causing a heart attack or stroke