Upon inspecting a client’s skin, a nurse identifies a stage 3 pressure ulcer on the sacrum. Which statement best describes a stage 3 pressure ulcer?

Choice A rationale

Full-thickness tissue loss extending to underlying support structures such as muscle, tendon, or bone is characteristic of a stage 4 pressure ulcer, not a stage 312.
Choice B rationale
A stage 3 pressure ulcer involves full-thickness skin loss and may appear as a deep crater. There may be damage to or necrosis of subcutaneous tissue that may extend down to, but not through, underlying fascia. This description matches the statement in Choice B, making it the correct answer.
Choice C rationale
A shallow, ruptured or intact skin blister without slough is more indicative of a stage 2 pressure ulcer. In a stage 2 pressure ulcer, there is partial-thickness loss of dermis presenting as a shallow open ulcer with a red-pink wound bed.
Choice D rationale
Unbroken skin with un-blancheable erythema is characteristic of a stage 1 pressure ulcer, not a stage 3. In a stage 1 pressure ulcer, the skin is not broken, but it has redness that does not lighten (or blanch) when you press on it.

Choice A rationale
Locking the wheels of the bed and the wheelchair is an important safety measure when assisting a client to move from the bed to a wheelchair. However, this action alone is not sufficient. The nurse also needs to ensure the client’s safety during the transfer by using proper body mechanics and providing adequate support.
Choice B rationale
Elevating the bed to a position of comfort for the nurse is the correct action. This helps to ensure that the nurse can maintain proper body mechanics during the transfer, reducing the risk of injury to both the nurse and the client.
Choice C rationale
Getting the help of several staff members to lift the client is not typically necessary when transferring a client with generalized weakness from the bed to a wheelchair. With proper positioning and technique, one nurse can often safely assist the client with this type of transfer.
Choice D rationale
Placing the wheelchair at a 90° angle to the bed is not the recommended position when transferring a client from the bed to a wheelchair. Instead, the wheelchair should be positioned parallel to the bed or at a slight angle.