RN Nursing · Pressure Injury, Wounds, and Wound Management · Practice question
A nurse is caring for several patients. Which patient is at greatest risk for skin breakdown?
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A patient with diaphoresis
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A patient who is dehydrated
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✓
A patient who is incontinent of feces
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A patient who has difficulty moving up in bed
Answer & explanation
Correct: A patient who is incontinent of feces
Fecal incontinence places a patient at the greatest risk for skin breakdown because stool contains digestive enzymes, bacteria, and bile salts that are highly caustic to skin. Prolonged contact rapidly breaks down the skin's protective barrier, leading to moisture-associated skin damage and pressure injuries. The combination of chemical irritation and microbial contamination makes fecal incontinence more damaging than any of the other listed conditions. Diaphoresis causes moisture and maceration of the skin, which weakens the epidermal barrier and does increase risk, but the irritants in sweat are far less destructive than those in feces. Dehydration can compromise skin turgor and elasticity, making it more prone to tearing or injury, but it does not create the same direct chemical assault on the skin surface. Difficulty moving up in bed introduces friction and shear forces, which are significant risk factors for pressure injuries; however, by themselves they are generally less immediately damaging than continuous fecal enzyme exposure. Overall, the chemical irritation from fecal material superimposed on moisture creates a particularly hostile environment for skin integrity, making the incontinent-of-feces patient the highest-risk individual among those described.
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