List key signs of wound infection, including localized and systemic indicators.

• A. Local: increased redness, warmth, swelling, foul drainage, delayed healing; Systemic: fever, chills, malaise, leukocytosis, tachycardia.
• B. Local: decreased redness; Systemic: normal.
• C. Local: no drainage; Systemic: severe dehydration.
• D. Local: immediate healing; Systemic: none.

Answer: (A)

Recognizing signs of wound infection involves identifying both localized inflammatory changes and possible systemic responses. Locally, infection commonly presents with increased redness (erythema), warmth, and swelling around the wound, plus foul drainage and slower healing because bacteria provoke ongoing inflammation and tissue destruction. Systemically, the body's response can include fever, chills, malaise, an elevated white blood cell count (leukocytosis), and a faster heart rate (tachycardia) as the infection engages the whole body. These patterns—local inflammatory signs paired with systemic symptoms—help distinguish infection from normal healing, which should not show persistent warmth, swelling, foul drainage, or systemic illness. The other scenarios describe either absence of infection signs (decreased redness, no drainage, normal systemic status) or noninfectious conditions (severe dehydration or immediate healing), which do not match the combination of local and systemic indicators that signify an infected wound.