Respiratory Acidosis: Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

• General physical examination–including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
  • Inspection (viewing).
    • Skin, mucous membranes, and sclerae (white part of eye) [central cyanosis (bluish discoloration of skin and central mucous membranes, e.g., tongue); facial flushing, conjunctival injection (bright red blood vessels in conjunctiva)]
  • Auscultation (listening) of the heart [tachycardia (heartbeat too fast: > 100 beats per minute)]
  • Auscultation of the lungs [dyspnea (difficult breathing, feeling of shortness of breath)]
  • Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, kidney bearing knocking pain?)
• Neurological examination [due tosymptoms: impaired consciousness, confusion].

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.