How do you determine if a wound is infected?

To determine if a wound is infected, you would assess signs such as redness, warmth, swelling, pus, and fever. These indicators are classic signs of infection; when the body detects a foreign invader, the immune response leads to inflammation, which causes redness and warmth in the tissue. Swelling is also part of the inflammatory process, as fluids accumulate at the site. The presence of pus, which consists of dead white blood cells, debris, and bacteria, is a strong indicator of infection. Additionally, systemic signs like fever suggest that the body is responding to an infection more widely.

Other methods of assessment, such as looking for absent pain or measuring the size of the wound, do not provide a clear indication of infection. Absence of pain does not necessarily mean there is no infection, as some people may not experience pain despite having an infection. Observing the wound's size alone similarly does not indicate infection, as a wound can be large and not infected or small and infected. Checking blood flow to the area is important for overall wound assessment but doesn't specifically point to infection status.