Question

Assertion (A): Secondary haemorrhage occurs 7 to 14 days after an operation.

Reason (R): Haemorrhage is due to the slipping of a ligature or dislodgement of a clot.

• A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
• B. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
• C. A is true but R is false
• D. A is false but R is true

Hint:

Secondary haemorrhage is caused by infection eroding a vessel, not by a slipped ligature.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Assertion and Reason:
Postoperative bleeding is classically divided into three timed patterns: primary (during the operation itself), reactionary (within the first 24 hours), and secondary (typically between 7 and 14 days later). The assertion gives the timing for secondary haemorrhage, and the reason tries to give its cause.

Step 2: Evaluating the Assertion.
Secondary haemorrhage is defined as bleeding that occurs about a week to two weeks after surgery, once the wound has already seemed to settle down. This timing is correct and matches standard surgical teaching, so the assertion is true.

Step 3: Evaluating the Reason.
Slipping of a ligature or dislodgement of a clot happens early, usually within the first day, when a blood vessel that was tied off or sealed by a clot gives way, often because blood pressure rises as the patient recovers from anaesthesia. This describes reactionary haemorrhage, not secondary haemorrhage.
Secondary haemorrhage, by contrast, is caused by infection in the wound. Pus and inflammatory changes weaken and erode the wall of a nearby blood vessel over several days, and the vessel eventually gives way once it is sufficiently damaged. So the true cause of secondary haemorrhage is septic erosion of a vessel wall, not a slipped ligature or a dislodged clot.

Step 4: Comparing the two statements.
Since the reason describes the mechanism of reactionary haemorrhage rather than secondary haemorrhage, the reason as stated is false, even though the assertion about timing is correct.

Step 5: Final Answer:
A is true but R is false.