Under Pressure
This is the medical term for skin breakdown caused by prolonged unrelieved pressure over bony prominences leading to tissue ischemia.
What is a pressure injury?
This inflammatory skin disorder is characterized by itching, redness, and lesions and includes contact, atopic, and seborrheic types.
What is dermatitis?
This contagious bacterial skin infection forms honey-colored crusts and is caused by Streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus, especially in children.
What is impetigo contagiosa?
This parasitic infestation includes three types—capitis, corporis, and pubis—and is characterized by lice feeding on human blood and causing intense itching.
What is pediculosis?
This benign skin lesion has a “stuck-on,” waxy appearance, often appears in older adults, and is usually removed only for cosmetic reasons or irritation.
What is a seborrheic keratosis?
This type of surgery is typically elective and performed to correct deformities, scars, or malformations while improving body image or restoring function.
What is plastic or reconstructive surgery?
This range of pressure in mmHg is enough to collapse capillaries and begin tissue ischemia in healthy adults.
What is 25–32 mm Hg?
This chronic inflammatory skin disorder involves rapid epidermal cell turnover, forming red plaques with silvery scales.
What is psoriasis?
This deep skin infection begins as a painful boil in a hair follicle and may progress to a larger abscess involving surrounding tissue called a carbuncle.
What are furuncles and carbuncles?
This type of lice infestation spreads through combs, hats, and bedding, and is most commonly found at the back of the scalp and behind the ears in children.
What is pediculosis capitis (head lice)?
This overgrowth of fibrous scar tissue extends beyond the original wound site and is more common in darker-skinned individuals due to excessive connective tissue response.
What is a keloid?
After facial or nasal plastic surgery, this position is used to reduce swelling and edema and promote drainage while preventing increased pressure at the surgical site.
What is semi-Fowler’s position?
This type of injury develops when skin and subcutaneous tissue remain stationary while deeper structures shift during sliding or improper repositioning.
What is a shear injury?
This symptom is the most common complaint in both dermatitis and psoriasis and often worsens with scratching.
What is pruritus (itching)?
This viral infection remains dormant in nerve ganglia after chickenpox and reactivates later in life causing unilateral painful vesicular rashes along dermatomes.
What is herpes zoster (shingles)?
This form of lice infestation lives in clothing seams, affects the trunk and extremities, and can serve as a vector for systemic disease.
What is pediculosis corporis (body lice)?
A nurse suspects melanoma when a mole shows asymmetry, irregular borders, color variation, diameter larger than a pencil eraser, and this final warning sign.
What is changing appearance (evolution of the lesion)?
After rhinoplasty, the nurse’s priority assessment finding that may indicate a complication is this type of drainage on the dressing or packing.
What is bright red bleeding (hemorrhage)?
This is the most important nursing intervention to prevent pressure injuries in immobile patients.
What is frequent repositioning (at least every 2 hours)?
This psoriasis treatment combines a photosensitizing drug with UVA light exposure and requires eye protection.
What is PUVA therapy?
This fungal infection of skin folds such as groin, feet, and scalp is called “tinea,” and is spread by direct contact in warm, moist environments.
What are dermatophytosis (tinea infections)?
This parasitic infestation causes intense nocturnal itching, burrows in the skin, and is most contagious before symptoms appear about 4 weeks after exposure.
What is scabies?
This most common skin cancer arises from the basal layer of the epidermis, appears pearly with a rolled edge, and rarely metastasizes but can be locally destructive.
What is basal cell carcinoma?
After blepharoplasty, this serious complication—though rare—would require immediate concern due to risk of permanent vision loss.
What is visual loss or corneal injury?
This risk assessment tool evaluates sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and friction/shear to predict pressure injury risk.
What is the Braden Scale?
This sedating medication class used for itching must be used cautiously in older adults due to fall and confusion risk.
What are antihistamines?
This parasitic skin infestation causes intense nocturnal itching and is diagnosed by burrows and microscopic identification of mites in the epidermis.
What is scabies?
This nursing intervention is essential in treating both lice and scabies and involves treating all close contacts at the same time to prevent reinfestation.
What is simultaneous treatment of all contacts (and environmental decontamination)?
This highly metastatic skin cancer originates from melanocytes, often develops from existing moles, and includes superficial spreading, nodular, and lentigo maligna types.
What is malignant melanoma?
After otoplasty, the nurse teaches the patient to protect the ears during sleep for about 3 weeks and to maintain this type of dressing for approximately one week.
What is an ear dressing?