When blood and fluid flow into the vascular space and produce edema, erythema, heat, and pain, the nurse knows that the wound is in which phase?

Inflammatory phase

Explanation:

This is the second phase of wound healing, which is natural body response to injury. it begins with the trransudation (discharge) from the injured blood vessels at the wound site of water, salt and protein fragments; leading to localized swelling.

Thus the inflammatory phase leads to arrest of bleeding at the site

The swelling leads to engorgement of the injured area, which enable the cells for healing and repair (white blood cells WBC) to migrate to the injured site. At this phase, damaged cells and pathogens are removed from the wound area.

The sequence of reactions of WBC at the wound site, with the growth factors, and enzymes explained the distinct redness, swelling, and pain characterized with the inflammatory phase. thus this phase also prevents infection.