UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Vascular

Title: Blue Toe Syndrome

Posted: 10/22/2007 by Rob Rogers, MD (Updated: 4/26/2024)
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Blue Toe Syndrome

This syndrome refers to acute digital ischemia caused by athero-microembolism and is associated with cool, painful, cyanotic toes in the presence of palpable distal pulses.

Presence of this syndrome should prompt the Emergency Physician to search for the proximal source. Failure to identify the source and aggressively treat may lead to limb loss.

Common etiologies include:

  • AAA
  • Iliac artery aneurysm
  • Popliteal artery aneurysm