A 42-year-old with a two-centimeter stage II pressure ulcer near the left ischial tuberosity: which description matches stage II?

• A. Stage I: intact skin with a color change
• B. Stage II: partial-thickness skin loss involving epidermis or dermis
• C. Stage III: full-thickness skin loss extending to fascia
• D. Stage IV: full-thickness skin loss with exposure of muscle or bone and necrosis

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how pressure ulcers are classified by how deep the tissue damage goes. Stage II means partial-thickness skin loss that involves the epidermis and/or dermis. You’ll see a shallow open ulcer or a blister with a pink or red wound bed, and there’s no exposure of deeper structures like fascia, muscle, or bone, nor is there necrosis.

A two-centimeter lesion near the ischial tuberosity aligns with pressure-related skin injury that stays at the superficial levels, rather than extending into deeper tissues. If deeper tissues were involved, it would be stage III (into subcutaneous tissue) or stage IV (exposed muscle/bone and possible necrosis). Stage I would be intact skin with a non-blanchable color change, not a loss of skin. So this description fits partial-thickness skin loss affecting the epidermis or dermis.