Conservative Management of Cutaneous Abscess
Cutaneous Abscess
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Cutaneous Abscess
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- <18 years of age
- Single, localized soft tissue abscess <3 cm in size by clinical or imaging criteria
Exclusion Criteria:
- Signs of systemic illness/infection including but not limited to temperature > 100.4, lethargy, or poor oral intake;
- A decision by an attending physician that incision and drainage is necessary;
- Inpatient admission; immunocompromised patients; soft tissue abscesses involving the perineum (labia, scrotum, penis, perianal), hands/feet, or face;
- Previous antibiotic use in the past seven days or previous attempt by a clinician/provider at drainage;
- Current drainage from abscess.
- Lidocaine allergy
Sites / Locations
- Rush University Medical CenterRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
No Intervention
Experimental
Warm Compress application
LMX4-A topical anesthetic application
The control group will receive instructions on applying warm compresses, the current standard of care. The patient or parent/guardian will be directed to apply a warm compress to the abscess or soak the area in warm water for 15 minutes. The application/soak will be done 4 times during the day.
The intervention group will be prescribed a course of LMX4 with application of a non-permeable dressing (Tegaderm, 3M, St Paul, MN) until time of spontaneous drainage, treatment failure, or resolve of pain. LMX4 is a topical anesthetic consisting of 4% lidocaine which is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for topical use in children.