Pressure injury stage 1 is characterized by

Pressure injury stage 1 is characterized by

• A. Non-blanchable erythema, skin intact, may have pain/temp changes/firmness before color changes
• B. Full-thickness skin loss
• C. Hypoesthesia only without color change
• D. Eschar formation

Answer: (A)

The defining feature of a stage 1 pressure injury is intact skin with localized non-blanchable erythema. Non-blanchable means that when you press on the reddened area, the color does not fade, indicating underlying tissue irritation from pressure even though the skin hasn’t broken. The area is usually over a bony prominence and may feel warmer or firmer or be painful or itchy. This differs from injuries with real skin loss or necrotic tissue. Full-thickness skin loss would involve erosion through the dermis and into deeper tissues, not just redness. Eschar formation indicates dead, necrotic tissue, which points to a deeper injury than stage 1. Hypoesthesia (reduced sensation) alone describes a sensory change but doesn’t define the visible skin finding of stage 1. If redness blanches with pressure or if there is a wound or necrotic tissue, it isn’t stage 1.

The defining feature of a stage 1 pressure injury is intact skin with localized non-blanchable erythema. Non-blanchable means that when you press on the reddened area, the color does not fade, indicating underlying tissue irritation from pressure even though the skin hasn’t broken. The area is usually over a bony prominence and may feel warmer or firmer or be painful or itchy.

This differs from injuries with real skin loss or necrotic tissue. Full-thickness skin loss would involve erosion through the dermis and into deeper tissues, not just redness. Eschar formation indicates dead, necrotic tissue, which points to a deeper injury than stage 1. Hypoesthesia (reduced sensation) alone describes a sensory change but doesn’t define the visible skin finding of stage 1. If redness blanches with pressure or if there is a wound or necrotic tissue, it isn’t stage 1.