Wounds that require healing by third intention are left open intentionally to allow for the removal of debris and for inflammation to subside prior the wound being sutured closed. Therefore, the most important intervention is to perform wound irrigations with warmed sterile saline. These wounds are in the initial inflammatory stage of wound healing; epibole and hypergranulation tissue formation does not occur during this stage. However, redness, warmth, and edema are all expected findings of a significant wound requiring healing by third intention in the inflammatory stage; reporting these assessments is not necessary. The wound is open and not sutured; therefore, instructing the patient to splint the incision while coughing to protect the sutures is not an appropriate intervention.