The surgical report of a newly transferred client indicates that there was a great deal of intestinal spillage into the abdominal cavity during the client's bowel resection

Question

For which category of wound should the receiving nurse plan care for this client?
1. Clean-contaminated
2. Contaminated
3. Dirty
4. Infected

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 2
Rationale 1: Clean-contaminated wounds are surgical wounds in which the respiratory, alimentary, genital, or urinary tract has been entered, but minimal to no spillage has occurred.
Rationale 2: A surgical wound in which there is a large amount of spillage from the gastrointestinal tract is considered a contaminated wound.
Rationale 3: A dirty wound is one that contains dead tissue or that has evidence of a clinical infection, such as purulent drainage.
Rationale 4: An infected wound is one that contains dead tissue or that has evidence of a clinical infection, such as purulent drainage.