Blood filled blister

[iheartangelinajolie]

I am so confused. I have a resident with 3 blood filled blisters on his shin. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to code this as stage 2 or not. It's not on a pressure area but the manual says code intact blisters as stage 2.

[Talino]

rai m-8, planning of care, bullet #2

"stage 2 pressure ulcers are often related to friction and/or shearing force, and the care plan should incorporate efforts to limit these forces on the skin and tissues."

if that still doesn't apply, ask md if it's vascular in nature.

the rai does not specify that all blisters be coded a stage ii, instead -- "may also present as an intact or open/ruptured blister". and,

rai, m-8, steps for assessment ...

"1. perform head-to-toe assessment. conduct a full body skin assessment focusing on bony prominences and pressure-bearing areas (sacrum, buttocks, heels, ankles, etc).

2. for the purposes of coding, determine that the lesion being assessed is primarily related to pressure and that other conditions have been ruled out. if pressure is not the primary cause, do not code here."

if no other item in section m applies, you don't need to capture it. simply document and have a care plan for them.