Clinical trial NCT01606657: Irrigation Versus no Irrigation for Cutaneous Abscess
Official title: Is Routine Irrigation of Cutaneous Abscesses Necessary?
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Cutaneous Abscess
Keywords: I&D
Abscess
Irrigation
Cutaneous Abscess
Lead sponsor: University of California, San Francisco
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2012-05-28
Enrollment: 201
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: DIAGNOSTIC

Brief summary: In this study, the investigators are trying to find out if washing out the abscess (pocket of pus) with fluid will help, instead of only taking out the pus. Your care will be the same as usual, except that you will be selected randomly to have your abscess washed out with fluid, or not.

Detailed description: Irrigation of the abscess cavity is commonly described as part of the procedure of incision and drainage of cutaneous abscesses (1-4). Despite this, there are no randomized controlled trials that demonstrate the benefit of irrigation in treatment of these abscesses. Potential disadvantages of irrigation include increased procedural time, pain, increased cost with sterile irrigation solutions and materials to capture the irrigation effluent, and increased risk of microbiologic contamination of the surrounding area. The goal of this study is to examine patients undergoing incision and drainage of cutaneous abscesses to determine if irrigation of the abscess cavity affects the need for further interventions.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. All patients 18 years of age and above
2. Patients that require a cutaneous abscess incision and drainage

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Unable to return for 48-hour followup.
2. Patients being admitted to the hospital or going to the operating room for incision and drainage
3. Pregnant patients
4. Prisoners

Primary outcomes:
measure: Patients needing further treatment after irrigation for I&D
timeFrame: 7 day phone follow-up
Secondary outcomes:
measure: VAS is correlated with decreased pain after I&D
timeFrame: two years
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Fresno
country: United States
facility: Community Regional Trauma and Burn Center
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: UCSF, Community Regional Medical Center
name: Brian Chinnock, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: O'Malley GF, Dominici P, Giraldo P, Aguilera E, Verma M, Lares C, Burger P, Williams E. Routine packing of simple cutaneous abscesses is painful and probably unnecessary. Acad Emerg Med. 2009 May;16(5):470-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2009.00409.x. Epub 2009 Apr 10.
citation: Abraham N, Doudle M, Carson P. Open versus closed surgical treatment of abscesses: a controlled clinical trial. Aust N Z J Surg. 1997 Apr;67(4):173-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1997.tb01934.x.
citation: Llera JL, Levy RC. Treatment of cutaneous abscess: a double-blind clinical study. Ann Emerg Med. 1985 Jan;14(1):15-9. doi: 10.1016/s0196-0644(85)80727-7.
citation: Stewart MP, Laing MR, Krukowski ZH. Treatment of acute abscesses by incision, curettage and primary suture without antibiotics: a controlled clinical trial. Br J Surg. 1985 Jan;72(1):66-7. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800720125.