On which postoperative day did redness and tan-colored, foul-smelling drainage appear from the incision?

• A. Day 1
• B. Day 4
• C. Day 7
• D. Day 10

Answer: (B)

The key idea is recognizing signs of wound infection and when they tend to appear after surgery. Redness around the incision along with tan-colored, foul-smelling drainage indicates an infected wound, not normal healing. In the immediate postoperative period, drainage is typically clear or light pink and redness is mainly due to surgical inflammation. By around day four, infection signs often become evident as bacteria proliferate in the wound, producing purulent,Odorous drainage. So the combination described fits day four best, whereas day one would more likely show minimal infection signs, and days seven or ten would suggest either progression or a different healing stage if infection is present.