Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) Practice Exam

Which symptoms could indicate an infection in a post-operative patient?

1. Fever and chills

2. Redness and swelling

3. Minor bruises only

4. Localized pain without swelling

The correct answer is: Redness and swelling

A post-operative patient exhibiting symptoms of infection could prominently show redness and swelling at the surgical site. These symptoms are indicative of inflammation, which is a common response to infection as the body's immune system activates to address pathogens. When tissue becomes infected, the inflammatory process increased blood flow can lead to redness, and the accumulation of fluid can result in swelling. In contrast, while fever and chills are also associated with infections, they are systemic symptoms and do not specifically indicate localized infections, which are critical in assessing post-operative complications. Minor bruises are typically a normal part of recovery and do not correlate with infections. Localized pain without swelling might suggest an issue, but it is less specific for infection compared to the presence of redness and swelling. Therefore, redness and swelling are more direct indicators of a potential surgical site infection, making this choice the most appropriate.