Cullen's Sign & Grey Turner's Sign | Pancreatitis NCLEX® Review

22 Apr 2025 · 1 min

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In this brief NCLEX review video, the presenter highlights two key physical examination findings associated with acute pancreatitis. Cullen's sign is described as bruising around the belly button (periumbilical ecchymosis), with a mnemonic linking the letter C to the central (umbilical) location. Grey Turner's sign is explained as bruising of the flanks, resulting from pancreatic digestive enzymes digesting surrounding tissues. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing these signs for the NCLEX and briefly mentions that related MedSurg flashcards are available in the Nursing SOS shop.

Chapters

There's two main signs that you need to know for pancreatitis for the nclex. The first one is colon sign. Now this is bruising around the belly button. So when you think colon sign, think C for around the belly button. And gray turner sign is bruising around the flank areas. This is due to the digestive enzymes breaking down the surrounding tissues. So colon sign around the belly button here and then gray turner sign is bruising around that flank area. You can snag all these MedSurg flashcards inside the Nursing SOS shop.