NCT01606657

Irrigation Versus no Irrigation for Cutaneous Abscess

Is Routine Irrigation of Cutaneous Abscesses Necessary?

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 201 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

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.

Conditions

• Cutaneous Abscess

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Irrigation	The patient will receive irrigation as a part of their wound care
OTHER	No Irrigation	The patient will not receive irrigation as part of their wound care

Timeline

• Start date: 2010-08-01
• Primary completion: 2014-09-01
• Completion: 2015-04-01
• First posted: 2012-05-28
• Last updated: 2017-05-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States