A nurse is assessing a client's finger pictured below. How should the nurse describe these lesions when documenting an assessment?
Explanation & Rationale
A. Hives (urticaria) are raised, irregular, erythematous, itchy welts caused by an allergic reaction. They are not fluid-filled and tend to appear as transient, swollen plaques rather than small blisters. Therefore, this does not match the description. B. Fissures are linear cracks or splits in the skin that extend into the dermis. They appear as dry, open lines in the skin, not raised or fluid-filled lesions. The image described shows blister-like lesions, not cracks. C. Petechiae are tiny, non-blanching, red or purple pinpoint spots caused by bleeding under the skin. They are flat and not fluid-filled. The image shows raised lesions with fluid, which rules out petechiae. D. Vesicles are small, fluid-filled, elevated lesions less than 1 cm in diameter. They contain clear serous fluid and are commonly seen in conditions such as contact dermatitis or viral infections. The image described shows small, blister-like, fluid-filled lesions on the finger, which matches the definition of vesicles.