How do you differentiate granulation tissue from necrotic tissue by appearance and consistency during wound assessment?

How do you differentiate granulation tissue from necrotic tissue by appearance and consistency during wound assessment?

• A. Granulation tissue is red/pink, soft, bleeds with minimal trauma; necrotic tissue is black, brown, or yellow, dry or soft, nonviable and may require debridement.
• B. Granulation tissue is black; necrotic tissue is red.
• C. Both are the same.
• D. Necrotic tissue bleeds with minor touch; Granulation tissue does not bleed.

Answer: (A)

When assessing a wound, you differentiate tissue types by color, feel, and how it responds to touch. Granulation tissue is a sign of healing: it typically looks red or pink, has a soft, moist, granular surface, and tends to bleed with minimal trauma because of the delicate new blood vessels forming there. Necrotic tissue, on the other hand, is nonviable and can hinder healing. It appears dark—black, brown, or yellow—can be dry or soft (eschar or slough), and does not have viable blood supply, often requiring debridement to remove it and allow healthy tissue to form. This combination of color, texture, and bleeding tendency aligns with the described characteristics of granulation versus necrotic tissue. The other statements misstate color or bleeding patterns: necrotic tissue is not typically red, granulation tissue is not typically black, and necrotic tissue does not usually bleed with minor touch while granulation tissue can bleed with minimal trauma.