Integumentary Terminology

Question 1

serous

Answer 1

• clear light color and a thin, watery consistency
• considered to be normal in a healthy healing wound and is observed during the inflammatory and proliferative phases of healing

Question 2

sanguineous

Answer 2

• red color and a thin, watery consistency
• red color is due to presence of blood which may become brown if allowed to dehydrate
• may be indicative of new blood vessel growth or the disruption of blood vessels

Question 3

serosanguineous

Answer 3

• light red or pink color and a thin, watery consistency
• considered normal in a healthy healing wound and is typically observed during the inflammatory and proliferative phases of healing

Question 4

purulent

Answer 4

• presents with a yellow or green color and a thick, viscous consistency
• generally an indicator of wound infection and is always considered an abnormal finding

Question 5

eschar

Answer 5

• hard, leathery, black/brown, dehydrated tissue that tends to be firmly adhered to the wound bed

Question 6

gangrene

Answer 6

• refers to the death and decay of tissue resulting from an interruption in blood flow to an area of the body
• most commonly affects the extremities but can also occur in muscles and internal organs

Question 7

hyperkeratosis

Answer 7

• callus
• a typically white/gray in color and can vary in texture from firm to soggy depending on the moisture level in surrounding tissue

Question 8

slough

Answer 8

moist, stringy or mucinous, white/yellow tissue that tends to be loosely attached in clumps to the wound bed

Question 9

Red

Answer 9

wound description
- pink granulation tissue

goals
- protect wound; maintain moist environment

Question 10

yellow

Answer 10

wound description
- most, yellow slough

goals
- remove exudate and debris, absorb drainage

Question 11

black

Answer 11

wound description
- black, thick eschar firmly adhered

goals
- debride necrotic tissue

Question 12

contusion

Answer 12

• usually caused by a blow, that does not disrupt skin integrity
• characterized by pain, edema and discoloration which appears as a result of blood seepage under the surface of the skin

Question 13

dehiscence

Answer 13

• the separation, rupture or splitting of a wound closed by primary intention

Question 14

dermis

Answer 14

• the vascular layer of skin located below the epidermis containing hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, lymphatic and blood vessels and nerve endings

Question 15

desiccated

Answer 15

• the drying out or dehydration of a wound

- often results from poor dressing selection that does not control the evaporation of wound bed moisture

Question 16

desqamation

Answer 16

• the peeling or shedding of the outer layers of the epidermis
• normally occurs in small scales, although certain conditions, injuries, and medications may cause peeling in larger scales or sheets and extend to deeper layers of the skin

Question 17

ecchymosis

Answer 17

• discoloration occurring below intact skin resulting from trauma to underlying blood vessels and blood seeping into tissues
• this discoloration is usually blue/black, changing in time to a greenish brown or yellow color
• referred to as a bruise

Question 18

epidermis

Answer 18

• the superficial, avascular epithelial layer of the skin that includes fat, scale-like squamous cells, round basal cells, and melanocytes which produce melanin and give skin its color

Question 19

erythema

Answer 19

• a diffuse redness of the skin often resulting from capillary dilation and congestion or inflammation

Question 20

friable

Answer 20

tissue that readily tears, fragments, or bleeds when gently palpated or manipulated

Question 21

hematoma

Answer 21

• a localized swelling or mass of clotted blood confined to a tissue, organ, or space usually caused by a break in a blood vessel

Question 22

hypergranulation

Answer 22

• increased thickness of the granular layer of the epidermis that exceeds the surface height of the skin

Question 23

hyperpigmentation

Answer 23

• an excess of pigment in a tissue that causes it to appear darker than surrounding tissues

Question 24

hypertrophic scar

Answer 24

• an abnormal scar resulting from excessive collagen formation during healing
• is typically raised, red and firm with disorganized collagen fibers

Question 25

keloid

Answer 25

• an abnormal scar formation that is out of proportion to the scarring required for normal tissue repair and is comprised of irregularly distributed collagen bands
• typically exceeds the boundaries of the original wound appearing red, thick, raised, and firm

Question 26

maceration

Answer 26

• skin softening and degeneration that results from prolonged exposure to water or other fluids

Question 27

normotrophic scar

Answer 27

• characterized by the organized formation of collagen fibers that align in a parallel fashion

Question 28

turgor

Answer 28

• the relative speed with which the skin resumes to normal appearance after being lightly pinched
• indication of skin elasticity and hydration and normally occurs more slowly in older adults

Question 29

ulcer

Answer 29

• an open sore or lesion of the skin accompanied by sloughing of inflamed necrotic tissue

Question 30

allograft (homograft)

Answer 30

a temporary skin graft taken from another human, usually a cadaver, in order to cover a large burned area

Question 31

autograft

Answer 31

• a permanent skin graft taken from a donor site on the patient’s own body

Question 32

donor site

Answer 32

• a site where healthy skin is taken and used as a graft

Question 33

escharotomy

Answer 33

• a surgical procedure that open or removes eschar from a burn site to reduce tension on a surrounding structure, relieve pressure from interstitial edema, and subsequently enhance circulation

Question 34

full-thickness graft

Answer 34

• a skin graft that contains the dermis and epidermis

Question 35

heterograft (xenograft)

Answer 35

• a temporary skin graft taken from another species

Question 36

mesh graft

Answer 36

• a skin graft that is altered to create a mesh like pattern in order to cover a larger surface area

Question 37

recipient site

Answer 37

• a site that has been burned a requires a graft

Question 38

sheet graft

Answer 38

• a site graft that is transferred directly from the unburned donor site to the prepared recipient site

Question 39

split thickness graft

Answer 39

• a skin graft that contains only a superficial layer of the dermis in addition to the epidermis

Question 40

z-plasty

Answer 40

• a surgical procedure to eliminate a scar contracture

- an incision in the shape of a z allows the contracture to change configuration and lengthen the scar