Comparison of Suturing and Packing of Drained Abscesses

Primary vs. Secondary Closure of Cutaneous Abscesses After I&D: A RCT

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00465049

Enrollment

100

Registered

2007-04-24

Start date

2007-01-31

Completion date

2012-02-29

Last updated

2012-10-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cutanoeus Abscesses

Keywords

abscess, primary closure, secondary closure

Brief summary

The standard treatment for skin abscesses in drainage followed by packing to prevent premature closure and reaccumulation of pus. Studies from the 1950s and later conducted outside of the US suggest that when drained abscesses are drained and sutured closed they actually heal faster without complications. The current study compares the time to healing and scar formation when drained abscesses are packed or sutured.

Interventions

OTHERPRIMARY CLOSRE

SUTURE

OTHERSECONDARY CLOSURE

ALLOW TO HEAL SPONTANEOUSLY

OTHERSPONTANEOUS HALING

SECONDARY HEALING AFTER I&D

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 85 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Non complicated abscesses

Exclusion criteria

* Fever, * Immunocompromise, * Cellulitis, * Perianal and * Pilonidal abscesses

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Days to healing.	1 week

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Need for subsequent drainage, scar appearance.	1 week

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026