Saturday, November 26, 2022

cyanosis in methemoglobinemia

Q: How does cyanosis correlate with hemoglobin in methemoglobinemia?


Answer: In methemoglobinemia, cyanosis correlates with total amount of methemoglobin. The formula is

total hemoglobin x percent methemoglobin = total methemoglobin

Once the total methemoglobin >1.5 g/dL,  cyanosis occurs

●A patient with total hemoglobin of 9 g/dL who has 10 percent of methemoglobin will have total methemoglobin of 0.9 g/dL and will not be cyanotic.

●A patient with total hemoglobin of 16 g/dL who has 10 percent methemoglobin will have total methemoglobin of 1.6 g/dL and will be cyanotic.

In other words, anemia can mask cyanosis. This is why some individuals with acquired methemoglobinemia in anemia can be quite ill despite lack of cyanosis. 


#hematology


Reference:

Josef T Prchal- Methemoglobinemia - © 2022 UpToDate ; Link: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/methemoglobinemia

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