Wound Care Certification Flashcards

Which fistula treatment strategy is likely to be the most effective in preventing wound contamination from drainage for a significant open abdominal lesion that has a fistula on the posterior aspect?

Answer: Bridging

For a fistula located on the posterior aspect of a significant open abdominal wound, 'bridging' is the most effective strategy to prevent wound contamination. This technique involves creating a pathway or 'bridge' over the wound to direct the fistula drainage away from the open wound bed, often into a collection system. Bridging protects the healing wound from corrosive effluent and infection, which is crucial for promoting wound healing and preventing complications.

What kind of preparation is required for a patient who will be receiving chemical debridement with collagenase and who has a persistent leg ulcer covered in black eschar?

Answer: Cross-hatching the upper layers of the eschar

Black eschar is a hard, impenetrable layer of necrotic tissue. Cross-hatching creates small channels or cuts in the eschar, allowing the collagenase enzyme to penetrate deeper into the necrotic tissue. This increased penetration ensures the chemical debridement agent can effectively reach and break down the collagen, facilitating the removal of the eschar and promoting wound healing.

TransCyte is prescribed to treat:

Answer: burns (partial to full-thickness)

TransCyte is a temporary biosynthetic wound dressing specifically designed for the management of partial to full-thickness burns. It acts as a skin substitute, providing a protective barrier over the wound. This barrier helps to reduce fluid loss, protect against infection, and create a moist wound environment conducive to healing, particularly in severe burn injuries.

Which support surface is ideal for a palliative care patient who is unable to assume a range of postures without feeling discomfort and putting pressure on two stage I and stage II ulcers?

Answer: Alternating air mattress

For a palliative patient with existing pressure ulcers and discomfort, an alternating air mattress is ideal. This type of mattress continuously inflates and deflates different air cells, constantly changing the pressure points on the body. This redistribution of pressure helps to prevent further skin breakdown, improve circulation, and significantly enhance patient comfort without requiring frequent, painful manual repositioning.

The main goal of using an Unna boot while ambulating is to

Answer: provide static support to the calf muscle pump

The Unna boot is a non-elastic, semi-rigid compression bandage commonly used for venous leg ulcers. While ambulating, it provides continuous static compression that supports the calf muscle pump. This static support helps to reduce venous hypertension and edema, improving venous return and promoting the healing of venous ulcers.

What is the best dressing to use when a deep ulcerated area has a lot of exudate and the drainage is caused by tumor necrosis?

Answer: Alginate

Alginate dressings are highly absorbent, making them the best choice for deep, highly exudative wounds, especially those with significant drainage from tumor necrosis. Made from seaweed, alginates form a gel upon contact with wound exudate, which helps to manage moisture, promote autolytic debridement, and conform to the wound bed, creating an optimal healing environment.

The best course of action for a patient who is nearing his death and has begun to form a pressure area on the sacral area but who groans loudly and resists the nurse assistant's attempts to turn him is to

Answer: allow the patient to lie undisturbed as much as possible

In palliative care, especially for a patient nearing death, the primary goal shifts from aggressive prevention to maximizing comfort and dignity. If turning causes significant pain and distress, allowing the patient to lie undisturbed as much as possible is the most compassionate course of action. While it may not prevent further skin breakdown, it prioritizes the patient's comfort and quality of life in their final stages.

A ____ is a collection of infected fluid that hasn't drained away.

Answer: Abscess

An abscess is a localized collection of pus, which is infected fluid, that has not drained away. It forms when the body's immune system attempts to wall off an infection, creating a pocket of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue. This collection of fluid requires drainage to resolve the infection.

A wound exudes light pink and blood-tinged fluid on Peter Griffin. Which drainage is this?

Answer: Serosanguineous drainage

Serosanguineous drainage is a type of wound exudate characterized by its light pink or blood-tinged appearance. It is a mixture of serous fluid (clear, watery plasma) and sanguineous fluid (red blood). This drainage indicates the presence of both plasma and a small amount of red blood cells, often seen in normal healing wounds.

When it comes to bandages and binders, a straight binder is utilized for ______.

Answer: Chest and abdomen

A straight binder is a rectangular piece of fabric designed to provide support and compression to large, flat areas of the body. Its shape and size make it particularly suitable for wrapping around the chest or abdomen. It is commonly used to support surgical incisions, provide compression for rib fractures, or manage abdominal distention.

This wound usually heals between days to weeks. Infection is reduced by well-approximated wound edges.

Answer: Acute wound

An acute wound is a wound that proceeds through an orderly and timely reparative process, resulting in sustained restoration of anatomical and functional integrity. These wounds typically heal within days to weeks, and well-approximated wound edges significantly reduce the risk of infection and promote faster, more efficient healing.

What form of drainage is Stewie Griffin experiencing from his wound, which appears clear and watery?

Answer: Serous drainage

Serous drainage is a clear, watery fluid that is typically seen in healthy healing wounds. It consists of plasma and is a normal finding during the inflammatory phase of wound healing. This type of exudate indicates a healthy inflammatory response without signs of infection or significant bleeding.

Lois Griffin has red blood coming out of a wound. What's this exudate?

Answer: Sanguineous drainage

Sanguineous drainage is characterized by its bright red appearance, indicating the presence of fresh blood. This type of exudate is often seen immediately after an injury or during the initial stages of wound healing. It can also signify active bleeding within the wound.

"Pressure ulcer" is synonymous with which of the following?

Answer: All of the above

The terms 'pressure ulcer,' 'bedsore,' and 'decubitus ulcer' are all synonymous. They refer to localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, resulting from pressure or pressure combined with shear. All these terms describe the same condition of tissue damage caused by sustained pressure.

Which phase constricts blood vessels to allow blood clotting and dilates to promote capillary permeability, allowing plasma and blood components to leak into the damaged area?

Answer: Hemostasis

Hemostasis is the initial phase of wound healing, occurring immediately after injury. During this phase, blood vessels constrict to limit blood loss, and platelets aggregate to form a clot. Subsequently, vessels dilate to increase capillary permeability, allowing plasma and blood components to leak into the damaged area, which initiates the inflammatory response.

When a wound is first starting to heal, the first white blood cells to come are the ones whose job it is to ingest the bacteria and cell debris that have accumulated there.

Answer: Leukocytes

Leukocytes, specifically neutrophils, are the first white blood cells to arrive at a wound site during the inflammatory phase of healing. Their primary function is to phagocytose (ingest) bacteria, foreign debris, and dead cells. This crucial action cleans the wound bed, preparing it for subsequent stages of tissue repair and regeneration.