Assistive personnel ask the nurse the differences between wound healing by primary and secondary intention.The nurse's best response is that healing by primary intention occurs when the skin edges:

A) are approximated.
B) overlap each other.
C) appear slightly red and moist.
D) cannot come together.

A wound with little or no tissue loss,such as a clean surgical incision,heals by primary intention.The skin edges approximate,or close together (not overlapping),and the risk for infection is minimal.In contrast,a wound involving loss of tissue such as a severe laceration or a chronic wound such as a pressure ulcer heals by secondary intention.The skin edges cannot come together because of the extensive tissue loss,and healing occurs gradually.A layer of granulation tissue,which is red,moist tissue consisting of blood vessels and connective tissue,covers the wound base in secondary intention.