A rare cause of central cyanosis of newborn: Methemoglobinemia

Cyanosis is blue-gray appearance of skin, nail bed or mucous membranes that occurs due to non- physiological disorders of hemoglobin or disorders involving deoxygenated hemoglobin. cyanosis of newborn detected in the first hours of life following delivery is usually associated with pulmonary or cardiac diseases. however, other rare causes also has to be kept in mind in differential diagnosis. one of them is methemoglobinemia. methemoglobinemia is a serious hemathologic disease results from oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric iron and causes inadequate oxygen transport to tissues and characterized with cyanosis. we report two cases who were hospitalized within the few hours after delivery due to cyanosis and diagnosed as acquired methemoglobinemia. cases diagnosed as acquired methemoglobinemia caused by maternal pudendal anesthesia were treated successfully with intravenous methylen blue.