A 28-year-old male patient at your clinic reports a minor motorcycle accident that occurred 5 days ago, resulting in several scrapes and wounds. The wound on his calf has a pinkish-red center area that appears bumpy. What does this indicate about the wound?

Choice A rationale
Cleaning directly over the wound with a swab could be harmful as it may disrupt the healing tissue. This method does not follow the principles of medical asepsis, which aim to reduce the risk of infection and promote wound healing.

Choice B rationale
The correct technique for cleaning a wound is to use a swab in a circular motion starting at the center and moving outward. This method helps to prevent recontamination of the clean area and is consistent with aseptic principles, ensuring that any contamination is moved away from the wound, not towards it.

Choice C rationale
Cleaning from the outer abdomen toward the wound could potentially bring contaminants from the less clean abdomen into the sterile area of the wound. This would increase the risk of infection and is not the recommended practice.

Choice D rationale
Swabbing from one side to the other across the wound does not ensure that contaminants are moved away from the wound area. It could spread bacteria across the surface, which is not conducive to proper wound care.

Choice A rationale
Preparing a discard bag next to the wound is a practical step in the process, but it is not the most critical action to prevent infection.

Choice B rationale
Remaining very still during the procedure is important, but it does not directly relate to maintaining the sterility of the dressing change.

Choice C rationale
Restraining from moving the patient is not typically necessary unless the patient is at risk of causing harm to themselves or disrupting the procedure.

Choice D rationale
Changing gloves after removing the old dressing is crucial to maintain sterility. The old dressing may be contaminated, and fresh gloves reduce the risk of introducing bacteria to the clean wound.