The nurse is admitting a client to the medical-surgical unit and notes the skin breakdown shown in the diagram. How should the nurse document the finding?
Explanation & Rationale
A. Stage III pressure ulcers are characterized by full-thickness skin loss that extends into the subcutaneous tissue layer but does not involve underlying muscle or bone. The ulcer appears as a deep crater, and there may be damage to the surrounding tissue. B. The above image depicts an Unstageable pressure ulcers since the base of the ulcer is covered by slough in the wound bed. C. The term 'necrotic stage I' is not typically used in the staging of pressure ulcers. Necrosis refers to dead tissue, which is not present in a Stage I pressure ulcer. Stage I ulcers are characterized by intact skin with non-blanchable redness of a localized area usually over a bony prominence. D. Stage II pressure ulcers involve partial-thickness loss of dermis presenting as a shallow open ulcer with a red-pink wound bed or as an intact or ruptured blister. The ulcer is painful and may appear as a shiny or dry shallow ulcer without slough or bruising.