Abscess Irrigation Does Not Improve Outcomes

Irrigation after incision and drainage is a traditional recommendation for the management of cutaneous abscesses, despite a lack of robust evidence supporting the practice. In a single-center, randomized, unblinded trial, researchers compared need for further intervention within 30 days between patients undergoing irrigation versus no irrigation during incision and drainage for cutaneous abscess in the emergency department.

Thirty-day follow-up was completed successfully in 187 patients (89%). The group randomized to irrigation was slightly younger than the group randomized to no irrigation (median age, 35 vs. 40 years) and received more-aggressive therapy (packing in 89% vs. 75%; outpatient antibiotics in 91% vs. 73%). Nevertheless, the nee…