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

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

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.

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