Integumentary Conditions and Wound Care Flashcards

Which test is the standard clinical assessment for peripheral arterial perfusion of the lower extremity?

Answer: Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)

The Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) compares ankle systolic blood pressure to brachial pressure; a value below 0.9 indicates peripheral arterial disease.

Which elements are ESSENTIAL components of a thorough wound assessment?

Answer: Wound location, dimensions, depth, tissue type, and exudate characteristics

A comprehensive wound assessment must document location, size, depth, tissue type in the wound bed, exudate amount and character, and periwound skin condition.

Yellow-green purulent wound drainage most likely indicates:

Answer: Wound infection with bacterial involvement

Yellow or green purulent drainage indicates wound infection, representing the presence of bacteria, dead white blood cells, and cellular debris.

Which factor MOST significantly impairs wound healing in patients with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus?

Answer: Elevated HbA1c causing neuropathy, vascular disease, and immune impairment

Chronically elevated blood glucose in diabetes causes peripheral neuropathy, vascular disease, and impaired neutrophil function, all of which severely impair wound healing.

A pressure injury is covered with thick, dark eschar that prevents visualization of the wound base. How should this wound be staged?

Answer: Unstageable

When eschar covers a pressure injury and obscures the wound base, the wound is classified as Unstageable because the full depth cannot be determined without removal of the necrotic tissue.

Which intervention is the MOST important principle in managing a neuropathic diabetic plantar foot ulcer?

Answer: Total contact casting to offload plantar pressure

Total contact casting distributes weight across the entire plantar surface to offload pressure from the ulcer site, addressing the primary mechanical cause of the wound.

Which phase of wound healing involves collagen fiber cross-linking, remodeling, and increased wound tensile strength?

Answer: Maturation/remodeling phase

The maturation (remodeling) phase involves reorganization and cross-linking of collagen fibers, gradually increasing wound tensile strength over a period of months to years.