Increasing Incisional Pain in Surgery — 45yo Man | General Surgery | SMLE Q#17847

SMLE Question #17847

Surgery General Surgery

Objective: OBJ-POSTOP-SSI-ETIOLOGY

Last updated: February 2026
A 45-year-old man presents 5 days after an elective open inguinal hernia repair with increasing incisional pain and a dressing that becomes soaked. Examination shows erythema at the wound edges with purulent, foul-smelling, green-tinged drainage. There is no crepitus, and he is hemodynamically stable. Which organism is most likely responsible for this postoperative wound infection?

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