Which statement correctly defines a clean wound?

• A. Clean — non-infected surgical wounds
• B. Clean-contaminated — operative wounds entering respiratory, alimentary, or genitourinary tracts with controlled contamination
• C. Contaminated — open, traumatic wounds or surgeries with major breach
• D. Dirty — established infection or devitalized tissue

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how surgical wounds are classified by contamination level. A clean wound is an uninfected surgical wound where no inflammation is encountered and none of the body tracts that harbor microbes—respiratory, alimentary, or genitourinary—are entered. It is typically closed primarily with minimal contamination, which is why this option describes it as non-infected.

This differs from clean-contaminated wounds, which involve deliberate entry into those tracts under controlled conditions and carry a higher infection risk. Contaminated wounds are open, traumatic, or involve a major breach in sterile technique with substantial contamination. Dirty or infected wounds already have established infection or contain devitalized tissue, making infection likely.

So the statement that clean wounds are non-infected surgical wounds best captures the defining feature of this category: minimal contamination and absence of infection.