Vital signs

Capillary Refill Time

For education. Check every result.

Anatium is a study resource, not medical advice. Nothing here is a diagnosis, a prescription or a substitute for a clinician who has seen the patient. Check every number against a current local protocol before it touches anyone, and never act on a result you cannot reproduce yourself.

Reference range

Range0 to 2 seconds

About

How long colour takes to return after pressing for five seconds. A crude but free measure of peripheral perfusion, and unreliable in a cold room.

When it is low

Not clinically significant

When it is high

Prolonged (>3s): Poor peripheral perfusion - shock, dehydration, hypothermia, pvd

How it is measured

Press nail bed for 5 sec, release. Normal <2 sec. Affected by temperature and age.

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