Which statement describes a Stage 1 pressure ulcer?

Which statement describes a Stage 1 pressure ulcer?

• A. No ulcer
• B. Any area of persistent skin redness — an area remains reddened when pressure is relieved, with no skin break
• C. Partial loss of skin layers
• D. Breaks in skin exposing muscle or bone

Answer: (B)

Stage 1 pressure ulcer is defined by non-blanchable redness of intact skin. That means you see a localized red area that stays red even after you relieve pressure, and there is no break in the skin. The skin isn’t opened or torn, but the underlying tissue has begun to be affected by pressure. This distinguishes it from deeper ulcers: partial loss of skin layers indicates a deeper wound that would be Stage 2 or beyond, breaks in skin exposing muscle or bone point to even more advanced stages, and no ulcer means there isn’t any pressure injury present at all.

Stage 1 pressure ulcer is defined by non-blanchable redness of intact skin. That means you see a localized red area that stays red even after you relieve pressure, and there is no break in the skin. The skin isn’t opened or torn, but the underlying tissue has begun to be affected by pressure. This distinguishes it from deeper ulcers: partial loss of skin layers indicates a deeper wound that would be Stage 2 or beyond, breaks in skin exposing muscle or bone point to even more advanced stages, and no ulcer means there isn’t any pressure injury present at all.