Which level of contamination describes a wound with bacteria in excess of 100,000 organisms per gram of tissue?

The level of contamination that describes a wound with bacteria in excess of 100,000 organisms per gram of tissue is identified as infected. When a wound reaches this level of bacterial presence, it typically indicates that there is a significant risk of delayed healing and may also present symptoms such as increased pain, redness, swelling, and drainage. An infected wound often requires medical intervention, including possibly antibiotic therapy or other treatments to manage the growth of microorganisms effectively.

In the context of wound classifications, a clean wound has no signs of infection and minimal bacterial presence; a clean-contaminated wound might have some bacteria due to surgical procedures but remains controlled; and a contaminated wound is one that has been exposed to bacteria but doesn’t yet show signs of infection. In contrast, a wound classified as infected has crossed the threshold of bacterial presence that can disrupt normal healing processes and indicates a need for more aggressive management.