CST CST Wound Care & Closure 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which wound closure classification describes a clean wound that is closed immediately at the time of surgery?
- Secondary intention
- Primary intention (Correct answer)
- Tertiary intention
- Open healing
Correct answer: Primary intention
Primary intention (primary closure) means the wound edges are approximated and closed surgically at the time of the procedure.
Question 2: What type of wound healing is used when a wound is left open to granulate from the bottom up due to contamination or infection risk?
- Primary intention
- Secondary intention (Correct answer)
- Tertiary intention
- Surgical approximation
Correct answer: Secondary intention
Secondary intention healing allows a contaminated or infected wound to granulate and epithelialize from the wound base upward without formal closure.
Question 3: A wound that is initially left open for a period of observation and then surgically closed after confirming no infection is an example of which closure method?
- Primary intention
- Secondary intention
- Tertiary intention (delayed primary closure) (Correct answer)
- Skin grafting
Correct answer: Tertiary intention (delayed primary closure)
Tertiary intention, or delayed primary closure, involves leaving a wound open temporarily before closing it surgically to reduce infection risk.
Question 4: Which layer of the abdominal wall is typically closed with a heavy absorbable or permanent suture to provide the strongest fascial closure?
- Skin
- Subcutaneous fat
- Fascia (e.g., anterior rectus sheath) (Correct answer)
- Peritoneum only
Correct answer: Fascia (e.g., anterior rectus sheath)
The fascial layer provides the structural strength of the abdominal wall and is closed with strong absorbable or permanent suture to prevent hernia formation.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a retention (stay) suture used in abdominal closure?
- To close skin only
- To provide additional support to the wound closure and prevent dehiscence in high-risk patients (Correct answer)
- To mark the operative site
- To ligate bleeding vessels
Correct answer: To provide additional support to the wound closure and prevent dehiscence in high-risk patients
Retention sutures are large, widely placed sutures that provide reinforcement of the wound closure in patients at high risk for dehiscence (e.g., obese, malnourished).
Question 6: Which dressing type is most appropriate for a wound requiring a moist healing environment to promote granulation tissue?
- Dry gauze dressing
- Transparent film dressing or hydrocolloid (Correct answer)
- Dry pressure dressing
- Iodine-soaked packing
Correct answer: Transparent film dressing or hydrocolloid
Moist wound dressings such as transparent films or hydrocolloids maintain a humid environment that promotes granulation and epithelialization.
CST CST Wound Care & Closure 1
Which wound closure classification describes a clean wound that is closed immediately at the time of surgery?