SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Suturing and Suture Removal/Clinical Decision-Making Assessment Cumulative Assessment

▼This page is a part of the Perioperative Nursing Curriculum by ECSACONM and SELFPlease see the Intuitive Foundation Terms of Use and do not edit without permission.

Use the quiz below to check your understanding of the material.

Instructions

Work through each question carefully to choose the best answer, and submit the quiz to view your results. After completing the quiz, read through the answer explanations to review the reasoning behind both correct and incorrect options.

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(Scenario 1 – Clean Forearm Laceration) A 28-year-old male presents with a 4 cm clean linear laceration on the forearm after contact with a metal sheet. Bleeding is controlled, the wound edges approximate easily, and there is no visible contamination. What is the most appropriate next step?

	Apply a dressing and allow the wound to heal without closure
	Proceed with wound preparation, select appropriate suture material and needle, and perform primary wound closure using aseptic technique
	Delay closure for several days to monitor for infection before suturing
	Refer immediately because all forearm lacerations require specialist management

(Scenario 1 – Clean Forearm Laceration) During preparation for closure, the sterile tip of the Adson forceps accidentally touches an unprepared section of the patient's skin. What is the most appropriate action?

	Continue because the instrument will only contact the suture
	Wipe the forceps with antiseptic and continue
	Continue if no visible contamination is present
	Replace the contaminated instrument or re-establish sterility before proceeding

(Scenario 2 – Superficial Abrasion Without Closure Need) A 19-year-old male presents with a superficial abrasion on the shin. There is no wound gaping, no active bleeding, and no need for edge approximation. What is the most appropriate management?

	Clean the wound, apply an appropriate dressing, provide patient education, and do not perform suturing
	Close the abrasion with interrupted sutures to reduce healing time
	Apply tissue adhesive over the entire abrasion
	Schedule routine suture removal in one week

(Scenario 2 – Superficial Abrasion Without Closure Need) Before discharge, which patient instruction is most important for this patient?

	Return in seven days for suture removal
	Keep the wound clean, change the dressing as instructed, and seek medical attention if increasing redness, drainage, or fever develops
	Keep the wound completely uncovered to promote faster healing
	Avoid washing the wound until it has completely healed

(Scenario 3 – Borderline Healing Knee Sutures) A 35-year-old female returns 10 days after knee laceration repair. The wound is well approximated but remains under mild tension. There is no redness, drainage, or fever. What is the most appropriate management?

	Remove every suture immediately because the recommended time has elapsed
	Delay removal for another week without reassessing the wound
	Perform staged suture removal, assess wound stability, and reinforce the wound with adhesive strips if needed
	Leave the sutures permanently because the wound crosses a joint

(Scenario 3 – Borderline Healing Knee Sutures) Following staged suture removal, which patient advice is most appropriate?

	Resume unrestricted activity immediately because the wound has healed
	Remove any adhesive skin closure strips later that day
	Keep the knee completely immobilized until the scar disappears
	Avoid excessive stress across the wound for the next 24–48 hours and seek review if wound separation or drainage develops

(Scenario 4 – Deep Contaminated Leg Wound) A 42-year-old female presents with a deep leg laceration caused by farm equipment. The wound contains visible soil contamination and there is concern for deeper tissue injury. What is the most appropriate initial management?

	Perform immediate simple wound closure to reduce infection risk
	Perform thorough assessment and wound cleansing, evaluate for deep injury, and consider referral before deciding on wound closure
	Close only the skin edges and reassess later
	Remove all contaminated tissue without assessing neurovascular status

(Scenario 4 – Deep Contaminated Leg Wound) Which additional assessment is most important because of the mechanism of injury?

	Determine the patient's preferred dressing material
	Measure the patient's body mass index
	Assess neurovascular status, evaluate for tendon or deep structure injury, and confirm tetanus immunization status
	Schedule routine suture removal before wound closure begins

(Scenario 5 – Dehisced Infected Surgical Wound) A 60-year-old male presents after abdominal surgery with fever, purulent drainage, spreading redness, and partial wound separation. What is the most appropriate management?

	Recognize this as an infected dehisced wound requiring urgent assessment and referral rather than routine wound closure or suture removal
	Remove the remaining sutures and apply adhesive skin closure strips
	Clean the wound and discharge the patient with routine wound care instructions
	Reinforce the wound with additional interrupted sutures

(Scenario 5 – Dehisced Infected Surgical Wound) While arranging urgent referral, which nursing action is most appropriate?

	Apply new sutures to close the separated portion of the wound
	Delay documenting the findings until the patient returns from referral
	Remove all remaining sutures to reduce wound tension
	Document the wound findings objectively, maintain appropriate wound protection, monitor the patient, and clearly communicate the urgency of the referral

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Page data
Part of	Skin Closure and Suturing - ECSACONM
Keywords	surgery, health
SDG	SDG03 Good health and well-being
Authors	Ian-laurel
License	CC-BY-SA-4.0
Organizations	ECSACONM, SELF
Language	English (en)
Related	0 subpages, 1 pages link here
Views	3 page views (analytics)
Created	July 30, 2026 by Ian-laurel-1
Last edit	July 30, 2026 by Ian-laurel-1
Cite as	Ian-laurel-1 (2026). "SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Suturing and Suture Removal/Clinical Decision-Making Assessment Cumulative Assessment". Appropedia. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
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