Bedsore Stages
How Are Bedsores Diagnosed?
There are four classifications of pressure injuries which indicate the severity of the ulcer. Pressure injuries are classified according to stages and each stage of a bedsore represents a greater degree of tissue and skin damage than the stage before it.
Stage One
Presents as an area of persistent defined redness of intact skin, usually over a bony prominence.
Stage Three
The wound is open where subcutaneous fat is visible; however bone, muscle and tendon are not visible.
Unstageable
Unstageable bedsores are wounds with substantial skin or tissue loss, and accepted as either a Stage III or Stage IV pressure wound. The actual depth of the wound cannot be determined because a gel-like substance known as “slough” and dead tissue called “eschar” obscure the wound’s severity.
Stage Two
Presents as an abrasion or ruptured fluid filled blister involving partial skin loss.
Stage Four
Wound is deep with full thickness tissue loss. Muscle, tendon and bone are visible.