During examination of a patient's extremities, you press firmly for a brief period on a fingernail. You observe that it takes about 5 seconds for the color to return to the nail bed. This finding is most consistent with which of the following?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pressing on a fingernail and observing the time taken for the color to return is testing capillary refill time. In a healthy individual, the color should return within 2 seconds. A capillary refill time of more than 2 seconds may indicate poor peripheral perfusion due to a reduction in cardiac output or a disorder affecting venous return. Chronic hypoxemia or systemic hypertension are not directly related to capillary refill time. Therefore, choice A is the most likely cause of the delayed capillary refill time observed in the patient.

During Examination of a Patient's Extremities, You Press Firmly for a Brief