Phase two wound healing is characterized by which signs?

• A. Bleeding, tenderness, pallor
• B. Epithelialization only
• C. Decreased inflammation
• D. Pain, heat, redness, swelling

Answer: (D)

Recognizing the inflammatory signs of wound healing. Early wound response is dominated by inflammation, and the body increases blood flow to the area while capillaries become more permeable. That boost in blood flow causes warmth and redness around the wound, and the leakage of fluid into the tissue leads to swelling. Nociceptors are activated by inflammatory mediators, so pain is common as well. These four signs—pain, heat, redness, and swelling—are the classic indicators of the inflammatory phase in many nursing texts. The other options describe processes not characteristic of this phase: bleeding reflects initial hemostasis, epithelialization is part of the proliferative phase, and decreased inflammation would not match the prominent inflammatory signs seen during this stage.