Which feature defines Stage I pressure ulcer?

Which feature defines Stage I pressure ulcer?

• A. Nonblanchable erythema that remains red after pressure relief; epidermis intact
• B. Epidermis is broken with partial thickness skin loss
• C. Full thickness skin loss down through the dermis
• D. Full thickness skin loss extending into muscle or bone

Answer: (A)

Nonblanchable redness with intact skin defines a Stage I pressure ulcer. The key point is that the skin isn’t broken yet, but the redness does not fade when you apply pressure, indicating underlying tissue irritation from pressure. This distinguishes Stage I from deeper ulcers, where you would see actual skin breakdown. The other descriptions describe progressively deeper tissue loss: partial-thickness loss involving epidermis/dermis (Stage II), full-thickness loss into subcutaneous tissue (Stage III), and full-thickness loss with exposure of muscle or bone (Stage IV).

Nonblanchable redness with intact skin defines a Stage I pressure ulcer. The key point is that the skin isn’t broken yet, but the redness does not fade when you apply pressure, indicating underlying tissue irritation from pressure. This distinguishes Stage I from deeper ulcers, where you would see actual skin breakdown. The other descriptions describe progressively deeper tissue loss: partial-thickness loss involving epidermis/dermis (Stage II), full-thickness loss into subcutaneous tissue (Stage III), and full-thickness loss with exposure of muscle or bone (Stage IV).