Integumentary Terminology Flashcards
serous
- 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
sanguineous
- 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
serosanguineous
- 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
purulent
- 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
eschar
- hard, leathery, black/brown, dehydrated tissue that tends to be firmly adhered to the wound bed
gangrene
- 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
hyperkeratosis
- callus
- a typically white/gray in color and can vary in texture from firm to soggy depending on the moisture level in surrounding tissue
slough
moist, stringy or mucinous, white/yellow tissue that tends to be loosely attached in clumps to the wound bed
Red
wound description
- pink granulation tissue
goals
- protect wound; maintain moist environment
yellow
wound description
- most, yellow slough
goals
- remove exudate and debris, absorb drainage
black
wound description
- black, thick eschar firmly adhered
goals
- debride necrotic tissue
contusion
- 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
dehiscence
- the separation, rupture or splitting of a wound closed by primary intention
dermis
- the vascular layer of skin located below the epidermis containing hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, lymphatic and blood vessels and nerve endings
desiccated
- the drying out or dehydration of a wound
- often results from poor dressing selection that does not control the evaporation of wound bed moisture
desqamation
- 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
ecchymosis
- 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
epidermis
- 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
erythema
- a diffuse redness of the skin often resulting from capillary dilation and congestion or inflammation
friable
tissue that readily tears, fragments, or bleeds when gently palpated or manipulated
hematoma
- a localized swelling or mass of clotted blood confined to a tissue, organ, or space usually caused by a break in a blood vessel
hypergranulation
- increased thickness of the granular layer of the epidermis that exceeds the surface height of the skin
hyperpigmentation
- an excess of pigment in a tissue that causes it to appear darker than surrounding tissues
hypertrophic scar
- an abnormal scar resulting from excessive collagen formation during healing
- is typically raised, red and firm with disorganized collagen fibers
keloid
- 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
maceration
- skin softening and degeneration that results from prolonged exposure to water or other fluids
normotrophic scar
- characterized by the organized formation of collagen fibers that align in a parallel fashion
turgor
- 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
ulcer
- an open sore or lesion of the skin accompanied by sloughing of inflamed necrotic tissue
allograft (homograft)
a temporary skin graft taken from another human, usually a cadaver, in order to cover a large burned area
autograft
- a permanent skin graft taken from a donor site on the patient’s own body
donor site
- a site where healthy skin is taken and used as a graft
escharotomy
- 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
full-thickness graft
- a skin graft that contains the dermis and epidermis
heterograft (xenograft)
- a temporary skin graft taken from another species
mesh graft
- a skin graft that is altered to create a mesh like pattern in order to cover a larger surface area
recipient site
- a site that has been burned a requires a graft
sheet graft
- a site graft that is transferred directly from the unburned donor site to the prepared recipient site
split thickness graft
- a skin graft that contains only a superficial layer of the dermis in addition to the epidermis
z-plasty
- 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
