The nurse is taking care of a postsurgical patient and notes the incision is clean and dry, with sutures intact.
The nurse further assesses that the wound is healing by:

Choice A rationale:

Stage 1 pressure ulcers are characterized by intact skin with non-blanchable redness of a localized area usually over a bony prominence.

Choice B rationale:

Stage 3 pressure ulcers involve full thickness tissue loss. Subcutaneous fat may be visible but bone, tendon, or muscle are not exposed.

Choice C rationale:

Stage 2 pressure ulcers involve partial thickness loss of dermis presenting as a shallow open ulcer with a red pink wound bed, without slough.

Choice D rationale:

Stage 4 pressure ulcers involve full thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon, or muscle. Slough or eschar may be present on some parts of the wound bed.

Choice A rationale:

There is probably a deeper injury than what appears on the surface is incorrect because swelling at the wound site is a normal part of the inflammatory stage of wound healing.

Choice B rationale:

He has lain in one position for such a long time that swelling has occurred is incorrect because swelling at the wound site is a normal part of the inflammatory stage of wound healing.

Choice C rationale:

Vessels have dilated and allowed plasma to leak into the wound site is the correct answer because this is a normal part of the inflammatory stage of wound healing.

Choice D rationale:

An infection is in progress at the wound site is incorrect because while swelling can be a sign of infection, it is also a normal part of the inflammatory stage of wound healing.