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Overview :
The Sessing Scale can be used to evaluate a pressure ulcer.
Changes in the stage of an ulcer over time can help monitor the response of the
ulcer to interventions. The authors are from the University of Southern
California Medical Center in Los Angeles and the Sepulveda VA Medical
Center.
|
Skin |
Other
Features |
Stage |
|
normal |
at risk |
0 |
|
completely closed |
may lack pigmentation or may be reddened |
1 |
|
wound, with edges and center filled in |
surrounding skin intact and not reddened |
2 |
|
wound bed filling with pink granulation tissue |
slough present (? scab)
no necrotic tissue
drainage minimal
odor minimal |
3 |
|
moderate to minimal granulation tissue |
slough present (? scab)
necrotic tissue minimal
drainage moderate
odor moderate |
4 |
|
wound with necrotic tissue and/or eschar |
drainage heavy
odor marked
surrounding skin red or discolored |
5 |
|
wound with necrotic tissue and/or eschar |
drainage purulent
odor foul
surrounding skin with breaks
may be septic |
6 |
scale score =
= (previous stage) – (current stage)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: -6
• maximum score: +6
• The higher the score, the better the status of the pressure
ulcer.
|
Scale Score |
Interpretation |
|
negative |
worsening |
|
0 |
unchanged |
|
positive |
improvement |
Performance:
• Simple and easy to use.
• Test-retest reliability: kappa statistic 0.84 (good).
• Correlation with Shea scale: Spearman r = 0.90.
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