Wound Care Certification Exam Wound Care Certification Dressings and Topical Agents 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Silver-containing dressings are MOST indicated for which wound condition?
- Clean surgical wound closed by primary intention
- Critically colonized or locally infected wound (Correct answer)
- Wound with heavy fibrinous slough only
- Wound in the remodeling phase
Correct answer: Critically colonized or locally infected wound
Silver-containing dressings release silver ions that provide broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, making them appropriate for critically colonized or locally infected wounds.
Question 2: A honey-impregnated dressing works through which PRIMARY mechanism?
- High pH that inhibits bacterial growth
- Osmotic action and hydrogen peroxide generation (Correct answer)
- Systemic absorption of antibiotics
- Keratinocyte growth factor stimulation
Correct answer: Osmotic action and hydrogen peroxide generation
Medical-grade honey exerts antimicrobial effects primarily through osmotic activity and low-level hydrogen peroxide production.
Question 3: Which statement about contact layer dressings is CORRECT?
- They absorb exudate and do not require a secondary dressing
- They are placed directly on the wound bed and allow exudate to pass through (Correct answer)
- They are used as the primary absorbent layer
- They should be changed every 24 hours
Correct answer: They are placed directly on the wound bed and allow exudate to pass through
Contact layer dressings are low-adherent materials placed on the wound surface to allow exudate passage to a secondary absorbent dressing.
Question 4: Metronidazole gel applied topically to a fungating wound primarily serves to:
- Promote granulation tissue formation
- Reduce malodor caused by anaerobic bacteria (Correct answer)
- Debride necrotic tissue
- Stimulate angiogenesis
Correct answer: Reduce malodor caused by anaerobic bacteria
Topical metronidazole gel targets anaerobic bacteria that produce volatile fatty acids responsible for wound malodor in fungating wounds.
Question 5: A patient's wound shows periwound maceration. The BEST immediate intervention is to:
- Switch to a more absorptive dressing and apply a skin protectant to the periwound (Correct answer)
- Apply a hydrogel to increase moisture
- Use a wet-to-dry dressing technique
- Start systemic antibiotics
Correct answer: Switch to a more absorptive dressing and apply a skin protectant to the periwound
Maceration results from excess moisture; switching to a higher-absorbency dressing and protecting periwound skin with a moisture barrier addresses the cause.
Question 6: Which of the following is a PRIMARY indication for collagen dressings?
- Infected wounds with purulent exudate
- Stalled or non-healing chronic wounds to stimulate granulation (Correct answer)
- Dry eschars requiring rapid debridement
- Wounds requiring bacterial bio-burden reduction
Correct answer: Stalled or non-healing chronic wounds to stimulate granulation
Collagen dressings provide extracellular matrix scaffolding and growth factors that help stimulate granulation in stalled chronic wounds.
Question 7: Iodosorb (cadexomer iodine) dressing changes are typically recommended at which frequency?
- Every 24 hours
- Every 72 hours or when saturated (Correct answer)
- Once weekly only
- Every 12 hours
Correct answer: Every 72 hours or when saturated
Cadexomer iodine dressings are changed when they become saturated — typically every 2–3 days — or as dictated by exudate levels.
Wound Care Certification Exam Wound Care Certification Dressings and Topical Agents 3
Silver-containing dressings are MOST indicated for which wound condition?