A 45-year-old healthy male patient with no significant past medical history presents to the emergency department following a motor vehicle accident in which he sustained an openfracture dislocation of his ankle. The accident occurred at 4:00 P.M. The emergency department staff stabilize the patient for any life-threatening problems and call a podiatricphysician to see him at 2:00 A.M. the following day.
How should this injury be classified with respect to bacterial involvement?
A.Clean
B.Clean contaminated
C.Contaminated
D.Infected