After assessing edema, you note a pit greater than 1 inch deep. This would be recorded as?

After assessing edema, you note a pit greater than 1 inch deep. This would be recorded as?

• A. 4+
• B. 1+
• C. 3+
• D. 2+

Answer: (A)

Pitting edema is graded by how deep the indentation remains after you press into the tissue. The deeper the pit and the longer it lasts, the higher the grade. A pit that is very deep—more than a noticeable depth such as an inch—and that persists after you release the finger falls into the most severe category on the standard four-point scale. That’s why this finding is recorded at the maximum grade. The shallower pits would correspond to the lower grades, which don’t fit a pit of this depth.

Pitting edema is graded by how deep the indentation remains after you press into the tissue. The deeper the pit and the longer it lasts, the higher the grade. A pit that is very deep—more than a noticeable depth such as an inch—and that persists after you release the finger falls into the most severe category on the standard four-point scale. That’s why this finding is recorded at the maximum grade. The shallower pits would correspond to the lower grades, which don’t fit a pit of this depth.