Which statement best identifies early signs of a pressure injury?

Which statement best identifies early signs of a pressure injury?

• A. Fever and rapid heart rate.
• B. Bruising of the skin around a pressure area.
• C. Reddened skin, warmth, tenderness or pain at a bony area, even if the skin is intact.
• D. A numb feeling with no color change.

Answer: (C)

Early signs of a pressure injury show up as local changes in the skin over a bony area, not as systemic illness. The best statement reflects that: reddened skin with warmth, tenderness, or pain at a bony area, even when the skin is intact. This indicates tissue irritation from prolonged pressure and potential early damage beneath the surface, before an open sore develops. If you press on the reddened spot, non-blanchable redness ( redness that does not fade) is an especially important sign of this early stage in many guidelines. Fever and a rapid heart rate are systemic responses and point to infection or overall stress, not the first local signs of a pressure injury. Bruising around a pressure area isn’t the typical early sign and can come from other causes. Numbness with no color change suggests nerve involvement rather than the initial tissue damage from pressure.

Early signs of a pressure injury show up as local changes in the skin over a bony area, not as systemic illness. The best statement reflects that: reddened skin with warmth, tenderness, or pain at a bony area, even when the skin is intact. This indicates tissue irritation from prolonged pressure and potential early damage beneath the surface, before an open sore develops. If you press on the reddened spot, non-blanchable redness ( redness that does not fade) is an especially important sign of this early stage in many guidelines.

Fever and a rapid heart rate are systemic responses and point to infection or overall stress, not the first local signs of a pressure injury. Bruising around a pressure area isn’t the typical early sign and can come from other causes. Numbness with no color change suggests nerve involvement rather than the initial tissue damage from pressure.