The nurse changing a wet to dry normal saline dressing for a patient with an ulcer on the heel finds that the old dressing is stuck to the wound bed.
The nurse's most beneficial intervention would be to:

Choice A rationale:

Full thickness skin loss with visible adipose tissue is characteristic of a stage 3 pressure injury, not stage 1.

Choice B rationale:

Full thickness skin loss with visible bone is characteristic of a stage 4 pressure injury, not stage 1.

Choice C rationale:

Stage 1 pressure injuries are characterized by intact skin with localized erythema.

Choice D rationale:

Partial-thickness skin loss with red tissue in the wound bed is characteristic of a stage 2 pressure injury, not stage 1.

Choice A rationale:

Numbing the area treated is not a physiological effect of moist heat. Moist heat primarily works by increasing blood flow to the treated area.

Choice B rationale:

Dilating the blood vessels is the correct answer. Moist heat therapy works by increasing the temperature of the skin/soft tissue, which leads to vasodilation and increased blood flow to the treated area.

Choice C rationale:

Drawing fluid to the site of application is not a physiological effect of moist heat. Moist heat primarily works by increasing blood flow to the treated area.

Choice D rationale:

Constricting the blood vessels is not a physiological effect of moist heat. Moist heat primarily works by increasing blood flow to the treated area through vasodilation.