Final answer:
Capillary refill time should be within 2 seconds for adults and elders, and less than 3 seconds for infants and children. Exceedance of these values may indicate a need for medical evaluation, especially if there is a risk of significant blood loss where the maintenance of adequate blood pressure and circulation is critical.
Step-by-step explanation:
The capillary refill time (CRT) is the time taken for color to return to an external capillary bed after pressure has been applied to cause blanching. For adults and elderly patients, the maximum normal capillary refill time is generally accepted to be 2 seconds. In infants and children, a normal CRT might be slightly longer, but values exceeding 3 seconds may require further evaluation.
In clinical settings, if there's a risk of significant blood loss, such as more than 500ml or 7 ml/kg in children, it's important to have appropriate access and fluids available for resuscitation. Understanding blood pressures in various parts of the body, such as the blood hydrostatic pressure (55 mm Hg), blood colloid osmotic pressure (30 mm Hg), and capsular hydrostatic pressure (15 mm Hg) is important when considering hemodynamic status and the management of patients.