The center of a third-degree burn is characterized by which tissue type?

• A. Eschar
• B. Slough
• C. Necrosis
• D. Hyperemia

Answer: (A)

In a full-thickness (third-degree) burn, the center shows nonviable tissue that has been destroyed by coagulation necrosis. This dead tissue forms a thick, leathery crust called eschar. Eschar is the hallmark of third-degree burns because it represents the nonviable, devitalized tissue that results from complete dermal destruction and loss of perfusion.

Slough, by contrast, is loose, moist dead tissue that can appear in various wounds but isn’t the fixed center crust of a burn. Hyperemia is redness from inflammation and increased blood flow, typically around the wound edges, not the central necrotic center. Necrosis describes tissue death in general, but the specific tissue at the center of a third-degree burn is eschar.