The ‘employee of the year’ is rewarded with a close-in parking space, but this space is very icy in winter, and she falls getting out of her car. She scrapes her arm on the pavement. She goes to the employee clinic, where the physician’s assistant observes only a superficial epidermal injury in which the skin is not completely broken. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the arm injury to this woman?
- Abrasion
- Laceration
- Puncture
- Incised wound
- Contusion
View Explanation
Abrasion = Abrasions are quite common injuries. There is a scraping of the epidermis. Sometimes the pattern of the abrasion can indicate how it occurred
Laceration = A laceration will break the skin in an irregular pattern.
Puncture = A puncture is made with a sharp object that breaks the skin over a small area, but the wound may be quite deep.
Incised wound = An incised wound is made with a sharp object such as a knife.
Contusion = A contusion, or ‘bruise’, leads to extravasation of blood into soft tissues below the skin