A Randomized Blinded Trial of Abscess Management With Packing vs No Packing

London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

Overview

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.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Conditions

Uncomplicated Cutaneous Abscess

Interventions

Packing vs No PackingPROCEDURE

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

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

Locations (1)

London Health Sciences Centre

London, Ontario, Canada

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

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)

Time frame: 7 days

Secondary Outcomes

Proportion of wounds "closed" at 1 week (wound size <0.5 cm length and depth and no drainage)

Time frame: 7 days

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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