aggravated and dopey student needs help

NurseforPreggers · Jun 7, 2005

I could be wrong but it sounds like this is referring to what I know of as "tunneling". This is where the ulcer goes under the skin and tunnels into the flesh in different directions.

Bird2 · Jun 8, 2005

Tunneling and undermining is tissue destruction that underlies the skin. If it is tunneling you can insert a cotton swab into the tunnel until the edge of the wound meets your finger. Take the swab out without moving your fingers and measure the end of the swab to your finger. Undermining is different from tunneling. I think of undermining like the inside of your lip. You will see charting that states - tunneling 2.8 cm at 12.o'clock. Undermining 0.3 cm from 3 o'clock to 6 0'clock. So tunneling is like a tunnel and undermining is like under you lip. I hope this helps instead of confusing you.

MIA-RN1, RN · Jun 9, 2005

OK, I have two nursing books, both over 1000 pages, a medical dictionary and I've been googling like mad but I cannot get a clear definition of what undermining and sinus tracts mean with pressure ulcers. I mean, everyone talks about it but no one explains exactly what it IS. I guess I have a vague idea but I want to be clear about it. I don't understand why the teacher couldn't have told us when she was in class giving us page after page after page of lecture material -- she mentioned this! Why didn't she define it? She likes to tell us to look things up but it's not in the @#$*&% book! Books! ARGH! Help!

I spent several weeks myself wondering why they kept talking about sinuses when they were supposed to be talking about wounds and wound care :rotfl:

A sinus tract is like a little chipmunk burrow; that's how I envision it. Starts at the main place (the wound) and burrows out across the space.

begalli · Jun 9, 2005

Tunneling and undermining is tissue destruction that underlies the skin. If it is tunneling you can insert a cotton swab into the tunnel until the edge of the wound meets your finger. Take the swab out without moving your fingers and measure the end of the swab to your finger. Undermining is different from tunneling. I think of undermining like the inside of your lip. You will see charting that states - tunneling 2.8 cm at 12.o'clock. Undermining 0.3 cm from 3 o'clock to 6 0'clock. So tunneling is like a tunnel and undermining is like under you lip.

Wow. Thank you! Even us suppossedly experienced nurses need reminders like this every once in a while (well maybe once a week - thankfully we don't deal with decubiti that bad, that often).