What it means
Blood that pools under unbroken skin, usually after a bump or injury. Its color changes as the body clears it: red or purple at first, then blue, green, yellow and brown over about two weeks. The medical word for a larger flat bruise is ecchymosis; a raised collection of blood is a hematomahee-muh-TOH-muhA collection of blood, often clotted, that has leaked out of the blood vessels into the tissue.hem/o blood (here as hemat-)-oma swelling or massFull entry . Easy bruising can happen with anticoagulants, low plateletPLAYT-litA tiny cell fragment in the blood that sticks together at a wound to help form a clot.Full entry counts, liver disease and older, thinner skin.
For the nurse
Note the size, color and place of a bruise. Bruises in odd places, in different stages of healing, or that do not match the story given can be signs of abuse in children and older adults and must be reported. In a client on an anticoagulant, report new or spreading bruising.
At a glance
| Everyday words | black and blue mark |
|---|---|
| Spanish | moretón |
| Also written | bruises, bruising, bruised |
Related terms
platelet
A tiny cell fragment in the blood that sticks together at a wound to help form a clot.
anticoagulant
A drug that slows the blood's ability to form clots.
thrombocytopenia
A blood platelet count below normal, under 150,000/mm3.
hematoma
A collection of blood, often clotted, that has leaked out of the blood vessels into the tissue.