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A Man's Blue Toes Spark a Puzzling Medical Mystery

Poor circulation can come from a lot of things — some more deadly than others.

By Tony Dajer
Aug 27, 2019 4:34 PMDec 13, 2019 4:48 PM
Blue Toes Header - Jaeger/Discover
(Credit: Kellie Jaeger/Discover)

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“My papa’s toes are blue.”

The stylishly dressed woman squared her shoulders to hold my gaze. Three others — two sisters plus mom, I guessed — completed the entourage. A 70-year-old man lying on the stretcher had the wan but well-cared-for look of a convalescent used to letting his daughters do the talking. 

“He had a heart attack a month ago,” the lead daughter continued. “Two stents. Doing OK until a week ago. The feet started aching. The tips of his toes turned blue. We turned up the heat and put on thick socks, but it’s only gotten worse.”

I turned my attention to her father. “Hello, Mr. Mendez. May I take off your socks?” I asked.

He nodded. 

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