Exam Flashcards
pressure ulcers
a localized area of injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure or pressure in combination with shear
pressure injuries: principles for practice
- Occur from unrelieved prolonged soft tissue compression
- Most common site is over bony prominences (see next slide)
- Assess wounds on scheduled basis
- Thorough wound assessment:
- Identify type of wound healing (e.g., primary, secondary, tertiary intention)
- Identify type of tissues and characteristics of the wound base
- Identify condition of the wound edges and peri-wound skin
- Healing process phases
wound healing: primary intention
wound edges of a clean surgical incision remain close together
wound healing: secondary intention
wounds are left open and allowed to heal by scar formation
wound healing: tertiary intention
(also known as delayed primary intention or closure): occurs when surgical wounds are not closed immediately but left open for 3 to 5 days to allow edema or infection to diminish. Then the wound edges are sutured or stapled closed
viable tissue
granulation tissue - red to pink and moist
factors that influence wound healing
- adequate blood perfusion and oxygenation
- nutrition and hydration
- chronic moisture
- pressure off loading
- wound infection
- advanced age
- corticosteroid therapy (decrease immune function)
- medical devices
stages of wound healing:
Stage 1: Nonblanchable Erythema Skin Intact
Intact skin with darkened areas
Changes in sensation, temperature, or firmness
stages of wound healing:
Stage 2: Partial Thickness Skin Loss with Exposed Dermis
Wound bed is pink and viable, may have serum blister
Adipose not visible, no slough or granulation
Often associated with moisture, skin tears, medical devices
stages of wound healing:
Stage 3: Full Thickness Skin Loss
Adipose and granulation present, slough and eschar visible
Areas with adipose tissue are deeper
Undermining and tunneling may occur
Fascia, muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage, and/or bone are not exposed
stages of wound healing:
Stage 4: Full Thickness Tissue Loss
Exposed fascia, muscle, tendons, etc
Slough and eschar present
Epibole - rolled/curled under wound edges
Undermining and tunneling often present
deep tissue injury
Intact or not intact skin with unblanchable deep red or maroon discolouration revealing blood filled blister
Pain and temperature changes
unstageable pressure injury
Full thickness skin and tissue loss where the loss cannot be determined due to obscure slough and eschar
Once those removed, may reveal Stage III or IV
Risk Assessment, Skin Assessment, and Prevention Strategies
- Prevention of pressure ulcers requires
- Implement cost-effective strategies/plans that prevent/treat pressure ulcers
- Perform risk assessment on entry to the health care setting, and repeat on a scheduled basis or when a significant change in the patient’s condition is noted
- Use risk assessment tools
- Inspect the patient’s skin and bony prominences at least daily
performing a wound assessment
- location
- type of wound
- extent of tissue involvement
- type and percentage of tissue in wound base
- wound size
- wound exudate
- presence of odour
- wound edge
- periwound area
- pain
- tunnelling/undermining
sterile technique
- Purpose: to maintain an area free from pathogenic microorganisms
- Minimizes patient exposure to infection-causing agents
- Reduces infection risks of patients
- Majority of sterile technique practice are used in the OR
- Sterile technique includes:
- PPE (applying mask, protective eyewear, gown and cap)
- Performing surgical hand scrub
- Applying sterile gown and gloves
- Proper hand hygiene is required
- Used at bedside for procedures that require intentional puncture of skin, insertion of devices into a sterile part of the body, and when skin integrity is compromised
- Standard precautions are the minimum standard for infection control
- Must maintain sterile technique at all times throughout procedure
principles of surgical asepsis
1) all items used in the sterile field must be sterile
2) a sterile barrier permeated by punctures, tears, moisture is contaminated
3) 1 inch (2.5cm) border around the edge of sterile package is unsterile
4) tables draped as apart of the sterile field is only sterile at the table level
5) any doubt about the sterility of an item - consider it unsterile
6) sterile touching sterile = sterile, sterile touching unsterile = unsterile
7) sterile field must stay in visual field or else it is unsterile
8) sterile field/object is only sterile above the waist
9) sterile field/object becomes contaminated by prolonged exposure to air (move quickly)
donning pre order
apply cap (if necessary) apply mask apply eyewear apply sterile gown (if necessary) apply gloves (sterile or not)
doffing pre order
Remove gloves first
Remove eyewear
Remove gown
Remove mask
people at risk for latex allergy
- people who have had multiple surgeries
- workers with high latex exposure (HCP)
- rubber industry workers
- personal or family history
levels of latex allergy
1) irritant dermatitis
2) type 4 delayed hypersensitivity
3) type 1 immediate hypersensitivity
wound care
- Proper wound care is necessary to promote healing that results in an intact skin layer
- The skin defends the body in other ways by serving as a sensory organ for pain, touch, and temperature
- Plays a major role in thermoregulation, metabolism, immunity, and fluid balance regulation
black/brown wound (eschar)
- full thickness tissue destruction
- necrotic tissue
yellow wounds (slough)
- nonviable tissue
- infection
- slough
red wounds (granulation)
- granulation tissue
- increased amount of new blood vessels in wound
- healthy tissue
wound irrigation
- Wound irrigation cleanses and irrigates surgical or chronic wounds
- Proper wound cleaning solution does not harm tissue, uses adequate force to agitate and wash away surface debris and devitalize tissue that contain bacteria
- **do not irrigate a wound where you cannot see the wound bed (eg. tunneling)
irrigate a wound with wide opening
- Fill a 35-mL syringe with warmed irrigation solution.
- Attach 19-gauge angiocatheter.
- Hold syringe tip 2.5 cm (1 inch) above upper end of wound and over area being cleaned.
- Using continuous pressure, flush wound; repeat steps until solution draining into basin is clear.
irrigate a wound with a small opening
- Attach soft catheter to filled irrigation syringe.
- Gently insert tip of catheter into opening about 1.3 cm (0.5 inch).
- Do not force the catheter into the wound because this will cause tissue damage. Ensure that irrigant solution will be flushed out of the wound; avoid irrigating when the wound base will not permit effective flushing out of solution.
- Using slow, continuous pressure, flush wound.
- Pulsatile high-pressure lavage is often the irrigation of choice for necrotic wounds. - Pressure settings should be set per provider prescription, usually between 4 and 15 psi, and should not be used on skin grafts, exposed blood vessels, muscle, tendon, or bone. Use with caution if the patient has a coagulation disorder or is taking anticoagulants (Ramundo, 2016).
- While keeping catheter in place, pinch it off just below syringe.
- Remove and refill syringe. Reconnect to catheter and repeat until solution draining into basin is clear.
clean wound with handheld shower
- With patient seated comfortably in shower chair or standing if condition allows, adjust spray to gentle flow; make sure that water is warm.
- Shower for 5 to 10 minutes with shower head 30 cm (12 inches) from wound.