PrepU Chap32: Skin Integrity and Wound Care

The nurse is taking care of a client who asks about wound dehiscence. It is the second postoperative day. Which response by the nurse is most accurate?

"Dehiscence is when a wound has partial or total separation of the wound layers."

To determine a client's risk for pressure injury development, it is most important for the nurse to ask the client which question?

"Do you experience incontinence?"

The nurse is caring for a client with an ankle sprain. Which client statement regarding an ice pack indicates that nursing teaching has been effective?

"I will put a layer of cloth between my skin and the ice pack."

A nurse is providing discharge instructions for a client who had a colon resection and has a Hemovac drain in place. Which statement indicates that the client understands?

"I will squeeze the chamber and apply the cap to maintain negative pressure."

The nurse is teaching a client who is preparing for a left mastectomy due to breast cancer. Which teaching about a Jackson-Pratt drain will the nurse include?

"It provides a way to remove drainage and blood from the surgical wound."

The nurse and client are looking at a client's heel pressure injury. The client asks, "Why is there a small part of this wound that is dry and brown?" What is the nurse's appropriate response?

"Necrotic tissue is devitalized tissue that must be removed to promote healing."

The nurse is teaching a client about wound care at home following a cesarean birth of her baby. Which client statement requires further nursing teaching?

"Reinforced adhesive skin closures will hold my wound together until it heals."

The nurse and client are looking at the client's heel pressure injury. The client asks, "Why does my heel look black?" What is the nurse's appropriate response?

"That is necrotic tissue, which must be removed to promote healing."

The registered nurse (RN) observes the licensed practical nurse (LPN) preforming this action when applying a topical gel to a client's surigical wound during a dressing change. What instructions should the RN provide the LPN regarding this action?

"To best avoid further traumatizing the wound bed, apply the gel with a sterile cotton tip applicator."

The nurse is teaching a client about healing of a minor surgical wound by first intention. What teaching will the nurse include?

"Very little scar tissue will form."

The nurse is teaching a client about healing of a large wound by primary intention. What teaching will the nurse include? Select all that apply.

"Very little scar tissue will form." "This is a simple reparative process." "Your wound edges are right next to each other."

The acute care nurse is caring for a client whose large surgical wound is healing by secondary intention. The client asks, "Why is my wound still open? Will it ever heal?" Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?

"Your wound will heal slowly as granulation tissue forms and fills the wound."

The nurse is preparing to apply an external heating pad. To be effective yet not cause damage to the underlying tissue, in which temperature range will the nurse set the pad?

105°F to 109°F (40.5°C to 43°C)

A nurse is caring for a client who has had a left-side mastectomy. The nurse notes an intact Penrose drain. Which statement about Penrose drains is true?

A Penrose drain promotes passive drainage into a dressing.

A nurse is evaluating a client's laboratory data. Which laboratory findings should the nurse recognize as increasing a client's risk for pressure injury development?

Albumin 2.8 mg/dL (28.0 g/L)

A pediatric nurse is familiar with specific characteristics of children's skin. Which statement describes the common skin characteristics in a child?

An infant's skin and mucous membranes are easily injured and at risk for infection.

A pediatric nurse is familiar with specific characteristics of skin across the life span. Which statement accurately describes skin characteristics?

An infant's skin and mucous membranes are easily injured and at risk for infection.

The nurse has removed the sutures and is now planning to apply wound closure strips. What should the nurse do before applying the strips?

Apply a skin protectant to the skin around the incision.

The nurse has received an order to apply a saline-moistened dressing to a client's wound. Which action should the nurse perform?

Apply dry gauze pads over the wet gauze and place the abdominal pad over the gauzes.

Which action by the nurse is most appropriate when attempting to remove surgical staples that have dried blood or drainage on them?

Apply moist saline compresses to loosen crusts before attempting to remove the staples.

The nurse observes the presence of intestinal contents protruding from the client's surgical wound after colon resection. What action will the nurse take?

Apply saline solution-moistened gauze over the protruding area.

A client reports acute pain while negative pressure wound therapy is in place. What should the nurse do first?

Assess the client's wound and vital signs.

A nurse is caring for a client who has a pressure injury on the left great toe. The client is scheduled for debridement the next morning. Based on the red-yellow-black (RYB) Wound Classification System, which classification should the nurse document?

Black classification

The nurse is caring for an older adult client in a long-term care facility. What nurse action is important to maintain skin integrity?

Clean perineal area daily but do not bathe full body on a daily basis

A nurse is cleaning the wound of a client who has been injured by a gunshot. Which guideline is recommended for this procedure?

Clean the wound from the top to the bottom and from the center to outside.

Which is not considered a skin appendage?

Connective tissue

A postoperative client is being transferred from the bed to a gurney and states, "I feel like something has just given away." What should the nurse assess in the client?

Dehiscence of the wound

The wound care nurse evaluates a client's wound after being consulted. The client's wound healing has been slow. Upon assessment of the wound, the wound care nurse informs the medical-surgical nurse that the wound healing is being delayed due to the client's state of dehydration and dehydrated tissues in the wound that are crusty. What is another term for localized dehydration in a wound?

Desiccation

The nurse is performing frequent skin assessment at the site where cold therapy has been in place. The nurse notes pallor at the site and the client reports "it feels numb." What is the best action by the nurse at this time?

Discontinue the therapy and assess the client.

When performing a dressing change, the home care nurse notes that the base of the client's leg wound is red and bleeds easily. What is the appropriate action by the nurse?

Document the findings.

The nurse is helping a confused client with a large leg wound order dinner. Which food item is most appropriate for the nurse to select to promote wound healing?

Fish

The nurse is caring for a client who has a stage IV pressure injury. Based on the nurse's understanding of wound healing, arrange the following four phases of wound healing in the correct order.

Hemostasis Inflammatory Proliferation Maturation

What is the best nursing diagnosis to describe a minor laceration to the finger, sustained when a client was cutting fruit with a knife in the kitchen?

Impaired Skin Integrity related to open wound

A nurse is providing wound care to a pressure injury that formed on the heel of a bedridden client several months ago. Which guideline should inform the nurse's practice?

It is appropriate to use clean technique during this procedure.

The nurse is caring for a client who has a wound to the right forearm following a motor vehicle accident. The primary care provider has ordered culture of the wound. Which action should the nurse perform in obtaining a wound culture?

Keep the swab and the inside of the culture tube sterile prior to collecting the culture.

A nurse removing sutures from a client's traumatic wound notices that the sutures are encrusted with blood and difficult to remove. What would be the nurse's most appropriate action?

Moisten sterile gauze with sterile saline to gently loosen crusts before removing sutures.

A nurse has applied a bandage to a client's arm from just above the wrist to just below the elbow. What finding(s) would suggest to the nurse that there are no circulatory complications? Select all that apply.

No finger numbness or tingling Fingers with quick capillary refill Warm hand

When assessing the right heel of a client who is confined to bed, the nurse notes a thick, leathery, black scab. What is the correct action by the nurse?

Off-load pressure from the heel.

A client who has a bacterial infection develops an abscess that needs to be drained. What drainage system would most likely be used in this situation?

Penrose drain

The nurse is caring for a client who has two Jackson-Pratt drains following her bilateral mastectomy. When emptying a Jackson-Pratt drain, the nurse should prioritize what action?

Recompress the drain before replacing the cap.

The nurse is caring for a client who has a deep wound and whose saline-moistened wound dressing has been changed every 12 hours. While removing the old dressing, the nurse notes that the packing material is dry and adheres to the wound bed. Which modification is most appropriate?

Reduce the time interval between dressing changes.

What is the best way for the nurse to ensure there is not any tension on the tubing when caring for a client with a Jackson-Pratt drain?

Secure the drain to the client's gown with a safety pin below the level of the wound.

A client's pressure injury is superficial and presents clinically as an abrasion, blister, or shallow crater. How would the nurse document this pressure injury?

Stage II

A nurse is removing the staples from a client's surgical incision, as ordered. After removing the first few staples, the nurse notes that the edges of the wound pull apart as each staple is removed. What is the nurse's best action?

Stop removing staples and inform the surgeon

A nursing instructor is teaching a student nurse about the layers of the skin. Which layer should the student nurse understand is a potential source of energy in an undernourished client?

Subcutaneous tissue

A nurse bandages the knee of a client who has recently undergone a knee surgery. What is the major purpose of the roller bandage?

Supports the area around the wound

A nurse is caring for a client who has an avulsion of her left thumb. Which description should the nurse understand as being the definition of avulsion?

Tearing of a structure from its normal position

A client limps into the emergency department and states, "I stepped on a nail and did not have shoes on. Now I can barely walk." What types of concern does the nurse anticipate the client will have?

Tetanus, infection, wound care, and pain control

The nurse is applying a heating pad to a client experiencing neck pain. Which nursing action is performed correctly?

The nurse keeps the pad in place for 20 to 30 minutes, assessing it regularly.

Which nursing interventions reflect the accurate use of heat or cold during wound care? Select all that apply.

The nurse makes more frequent checks of the skin of an older adult using a heating pad. The nurse fills an ice bag with small pieces of ice to about two-thirds full. The nurse covers a cold pack with a cotton sleeve to keep it in place on an arm.

The nurse is changing the dressing of a client with a gunshot wound. What nursing action would the nurse provide?

The nurse selects a dressing that absorbs exudate, if it is present, but still maintains a moist environment.

A nurse is preparing to remove the staples from the donor vein site on a client's leg following cardiac surgery. Which guideline should inform the nurse's decision making?

The nurse should apply adhesive wound closure strips after removing staples.

The nurse is caring for a client who has a pressure injury on the back. What nursing intervention would the nurse perform?

The nurse uses positioning devices and techniques to maintain posture and distribute weight evenly for the client in a chair.

The nurse caring for a postoperative client is cleaning the client's wound. Which nursing action reflects the proper procedure for wound care?

The nurse works outward from the wound in lines parallel to it.

What intervention should the nurse teach the client to support the underlying tissues and decrease discomfort after removal of surgical staples?

To splint the area when engaging in activity

A nurse is evaluating a client who was admitted with partial-thickness or second-degree burns. Which describes this type of burn?

Usually moist with blisters, which may be pink, red, pale ivory, or light yellow-brown

The nurse considers the impact of shearing forces in the development of pressure injuries in clients. Which client would be most likely to develop a pressure injury from shearing forces?

a client sitting in a chair who slides down

The nurse is performing pressure injury assessment for clients in a hospital setting. Which client would the nurse consider to be at greatest risk for developing a pressure injury?

a critical care client

A nursing student is providing a complete bed bath to a 60-year-old diabetic client. The student is conducting an assessment during the bath. The student observes a red, raised rash under the client's breasts. This manifestation is most consistent with:

a rash related to a yeast infection.

The nurse is preparing to measure the depth of a client's tunneled wound. Which implement should the nurse use to measure the depth accurately?

a sterile, flexible applicator moistened with saline

The nurse is assessing the wounds of clients in a burn unit. Which wound would most likely heal by primary intention?

a surgical incision with sutured approximated edges

An older adult client has been admitted to the hospital with dehydration, and the nurse has inserted a peripheral intravenous line into the client's forearm to facilitate rehydration. What type of dressing will the nurse apply over the client's venous access site?

a transparent film

The nurse is caring for a client who has a heavily exudating wound that needs autolytic debridement. Which wound dressing/product is most appropriate to use on the wound?

an alginate dressing

The nurse would recognize which client as being particularly susceptible to impaired wound healing?

an obese woman with a history of type 1 diabetes

A client recovering from abdominal surgery sneezes and then screams, "My insides are hanging out!" What is the initial nursing intervention?

applying sterile dressings with normal saline over the protruding organs and tissue

A nurse is caring for a client who has a wound with a large area of necrotic tissue. The health care provider has ordered fly larvae to debride the wound. Which of the following types of debridement does the nurse understand has been ordered?

biosurgical debridement

A nurse is caring for a client with a chronic wound on the left buttock. The wound is 8.3 × 6.4 cm. Which action should the nurse use during wound care?

cleanse with a new gauze for each stroke

Upon review of a postoperative client's medication list, the nurse recognizes that which medication will delay the healing of the operative wound?

corticosteroids

The nurse is preparing to apply a roller bandage to the stump of a client who had a below-the-knee amputation. What is the nurse's first action?

elevating and supporting the stump

The nurse is assessing a client's surgical wound after abdominal surgery and sees viscera protruding through the abdominal wound opening. Which term best describes this complication?

evisceration

The nurse is preparing to apply a roller bandage to a client with a sprained knee. Which technique does the nurse plan to use?

figure-of-eight turn

A nurse is caring for a postsurgical client with a Jackson-Pratt drain. Which type of wound drainage should the nurse report to the health care provider as an indication of infection?

foul-smelling drainage that is grayish in color

What type of dressing has the advantage of remaining in place for three to seven days, resulting in less interference with wound healing?

hydrocolloid dressing

When assessing a wound that a client sustained as a result of surgery, the nurse notes well-approximated edges and no signs of infection. How will the nurse document this assessment finding?

incision

In the older adult client, wrinkling is related to:

loss of elasticity.

The nurse is caring for a bedridden client who is at risk for the development of pressure injuries. In which position can the nurse place the client to relieve pressure on the trochanter area?

oblique

The spouse of a client limps into the emergency department and states, "I stepped on a nail and didn't have shoes on. Now I can barely walk." What type of injury does the nurse anticipate?

puncture

A medical-surgical nurse is assisting a wound care nurse with the debridement of a client's coccyx wound. What is the primary goal of this action?

removing dead or infected tissue to promote wound healing

Which best describes the proliferative phase, the third phase of the wound healing process?

reproduction and migration of pink epidermal cells across the surface of the wound in a process called epithelialization

The nurse is caring for a client who has reported to the emergency department with a steam burn to the right forearm. The burn is pink and has small blisters. The burn is most likely:

second degree or partial thickness

A nurse is caring for a client at a wound care clinic. The client has a 5 × 6-cm abdominal wound dehiscence. Which type of wound repair would the nurse expect with this wound?

secondary intention

A nurse is assessing a client's surgical wound and sees drainage that is pale pink-yellow and thin and contains plasma and red cells. What is this type of drainage?

serosanguineous

A nurse is documenting on a client who has had an appendectomy. During a dressing change of the surgical site, the nurse observed a watery pink drainage on the dressing. Which drainage type should the nurse document?

serosanguineous

The nurse in the long-term care facility observes that a client has developed a sacral pressure wound, which is very red and surrounded by blisters. Which stage of pressure injury does this client present?

stage II

The nurse is caring for a client with a sacral wound. Upon assessment, the wound is noted to have slough and a bad odor, and it extends into the muscle. How will the nurse categorize this pressure injury?

stage IV

A client has been admitted to the acute care unit after surgery to debride an infected skin injury. The surgeon reports plans to leave the wound open to promote drainage and later close it. This represents what type of wound healing?

tertiary intention

A new mother is asking the nurse about care of her baby's skin. The nurse should instruct the mother:

to apply sunscreen when exposed to ultraviolet rays.

A nurse is teaching a nursing student about surgical drains and their purposes. The nursing student understands that the purpose for a T-tube drain is:

to provide drainage for bile.

A nurse is caring for a client with dehydration at the health care facility. The client is receiving glucose intravenously. What type of dressing should the nurse use to cover the IV insertion site?

transparent

The nurse is preparing to insert an IV for a client with dehydration. Which dressing supply will the nurse gather to take in the client's room?

transparent

A nurse is caring for a 78-year-old client who was admitted after a femur fracture. The primary care provider placed the client on bed rest. Which action should the nurse perform to prevent a pressure injury?

use pillows to maintain a side-lying position as needed