Uncomplicated Cutaneous Abscess
Conditions
Keywords
abscess, packing, emergency medicine, wound care, incision and drainage
Brief summary
Adult patients presenting to the emergency department with superficial cutaneous abscesses will be randomized after incision and drainage to standard care with wound packing or no packing to determine if there is a difference in the proportion of complications between the two groups.
Interventions
PROCEDUREPacking vs No Packing
Sponsors
London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* ≥ 18 years * Abscess ≤ 5cm in diameter * Truncal or extremity location
Exclusion criteria
* Post-operative abscess (abscess in location of operative incision, operation within the last 4 months) * HIV/immunocompromised/transplant recipient/chronic oral steroid use * Fever at triage (temp ≥38 degrees Celsius) * Abscess secondary to Crohn's * Multiple abscesses requiring drainage * Prior participation in the study for the same abscess * Incision and drainage performed with no packing required, or where abscess cavity is \<1 cm max diameter * Bartholins/perigenital, perianal, or facial abscesses * Complicated abscesses (fistula, suspicion of muscular extension, consultation/direct referral to general surgery) * Inability to give consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Proportion of complications (defined as a composite of the following: need for repeat incision and drainage by physician, need for admission to hospital, or need for escalation to intravenous antibiotics) | 7 days |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Proportion of wounds closed at 1 week (wound size <0.5 cm length and depth and no drainage) | 7 days |
Other
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Proportion of wounds closed at 2 weeks (wound size <0.5 cm length and depth and no drainage) | 14 days |
| Pain scores (daily pain scores for first week from patient diary) | 7 days |
| Amount of Pain Medication Used | 7 days |
| Resources Utilized | 14 days |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed