Is it true that your blood is blue inside your body??

Question

I have herad that blood is blue inside your body and turns red when exposed to air. Is this true. I find it really hard to believe.

Well, half of you are saying blood is blue inside the body and the other half says its not. Im still confused. If someone can give me a website I'll give you the ten points. Thanx to all who answered but I'm still a bit confused.

Answer 1

I it a bluish red, a dark red, when not oxygenated. It turns bright red when the hemoglobin absorbs oxygen.

Answer 2

It's true that unoxygenated blood is blue (found in the veins). This is blood that is going towards the heart for oxygenation by the pulmonary artery (the artery going towards the lungs). However, once the blood recieves oxygen from the pulmonary artery it goes out the pulmonary vein and the blood is in fact red. So basically you have both red and blue blood. Red = blood in the arteries that has recieved oxygen Blue = blood in the veins that has no oxygen

Answer 3

Apparently the OR Doctor and person who does Autopsies need to review their BLS and ACLS guidelines because they are WRONG.

The heart is actually a double pump. One pump the right side of the heart receives blood that has returned from the body after delivering oxygen to body tissues. The heart pumps this DARK, BLUISH-RED BLOOD to the lungs, where the blood rids itself of carbon dioxide and picks up a supply of OXYGEN, which turns it a BRIGHT RED AGAIN. The second pump the left side of the of the heart receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs and ejects blood through the aorta and into the smaller arteries, which distribute it to all parts of the body.


http://www.childrenheartinstitute.org/educate/heartwrk/blue2red.htm

Answer 4

http://www.baxter.com/images/products/blood_collection_and_transfusion/blood_pack_unit.jpg

That is a photo of blood collected in a closed system without oxygen/air coming into contact with the blood. If you call that color blue, then it's blue. Those of us who aren't colorblind call that a dark red.

(Venous blood is still about 70% oxygenated, by the way)

No. It is completely 100% false.

Blood looks blue when we look at veins under our skin because of the skin and other tissue. The blood is still red.

Deoxygenated blood is darker, and REALLY deoxygenated blood (from someone who is darn close to dead from lack of oxygen) approaches black in color, but never blue.

You can prove this next time you have blood drawn. It is taken from a vein into a vacuum tube or a syringe. No air. It's still red.



Here is what others have said:

"Venous blood is often depicted as blue in color in medical diagrams, and veins sometimes look blue when seen through the skin. However, venous blood is actually a dark red color (but looks purple through the opaque skin), while arterial blood is bright red. The appearance of veins as dark blue is a wavelength phenomenon of light, having to do with the reflection of blue light away from the outside of venous tissue if the vein is @ 0.02in deep or more. This is due to the difference in color between deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin; the red color ultimately originates from the iron atom in heme. If blood is drawn for a medical test, the dark red color can be seen; however, if it is exposed to oxygen in the air, it will turn bright red like arterial blood."

Answer 5

No, all blood is red whether it is oxygenated or not. I can't believe people actually think that deoxygenated blood is blue.!!!! It is the walls of the veins that give veins their blue color. Veins will look blue even if they don't have blood inside them (in an embalmed cadaver).

Answer 6

it's not actually blue. Our veins just look blue. Blood inside the body is a very dark red, almost purple color. If you look at the syringe when doctors draw blood from your arm, it will fill the syringe as this dark red/purple color. Oxygen and the diffusion of the blood outside the body is what gives it a brighter red color. The reason our veins look blue is due to the opaqueness of the veins and skin.

Answer 7

Not exactly but sort of true.

The blood flows through a network of veins and arteries - pipes essentially.

Blood flowing from the heart and enters the brain. So called 'red' blood cells, which are high in iron, absorb oxygen turning the blood red.

This blood passes out into the body, and during this time the 'red' blood cells discharge the oxygen gradually turning bluish in the process.

When we are cut it is usually near the surface of the body, were the veins carrying the bluish blood are (you can see them through some spots in your skin). The blood immediately absorbs oxygen and turns red again.

I can give you more detail if you'd like...

-dh

Answer 8

No, no, a thousand times no. Deoxygenated blood is slightly darker red. The blue color to the veins comes as a result of the depth beneath the skin and what it does to the optics.

I have done thousands upon thousands of autopsies and drawn blood on thousands of people, never would the blood be classified as "blue".

That urban myth amazes me, in that it is so easily disproven, yet people obviously are buying into it.

Answer 9

The oxygen depleted blood in your body is a blue hue until it is exposed to O2. That's why our veins look blue.

Answer 10

it is true. look at your veins, they are a blueish-purple. blood turns red when it hits oxygen, like iron gets rusty when exposed to oxygen, or an apple turns brown.