Staging pressure ulcers helps the medical team precisely describe ulcer severity and determine the appropriate treatment plan. The most used system is the NPUAP/EPUAP four-stage classification.
Pressure Ulcer Stages:
- Stage 1: Non-blanching redness when pressed. Skin is intact but may be painful, warm, or firm. This is a warning stage — still fully reversible if pressure is removed immediately.
- Stage 2: Partial skin loss — looks like an open blister or shallow pink wound without dead tissue. Heals within weeks with proper care.
- Stage 3: Full skin loss — subcutaneous fat is exposed but muscle and bone are covered. May be deep. Takes weeks to months to heal.
- Stage 4: Full tissue loss — muscle, tendon, and bone are exposed. Osteomyelitis risk is very high. Takes months and possibly surgical intervention.
Special Category: Unstageable
Ulcer bed covered with black or yellow dead tissue — depth cannot be determined until cleaned.
At BEIT TARIQ Center, we precisely stage every ulcer, document with photographs, and track progress at every visit.