What defines an unstageable pressure injury?

• A. A wound depth is unknown because it is covered with slough or eschar
• B. Red non-blanchable erythema
• C. Purple discoloration
• D. Depth is clearly visualized and shallow

Answer: (A)

This question is testing how to identify an unstageable pressure injury. An unstageable wound is one where you cannot determine its depth because the wound bed is hidden beneath nonviable tissue—slough or eschar. Since the base isn’t visible, you can’t assign a stage until that dead tissue is removed or falls away and the true depth is revealed. That’s why covering the wound with slough or eschar makes the depth unknown.

In contrast, red non-blanchable erythema indicates a superficial skin response (a Stage I injury) where depth isn’t lost. Purple discoloration suggests deep tissue injury, which implies underlying tissue damage that isn’t yet fully visible but isn’t described as an unstageable wound. If the depth is clearly visualized and shallow, that corresponds to a superficial stage (Stage II).