An alternative to open incision and drainage for community-acquired soft tissue abscesses in children

Abstract Background The continually rising incidence of soft tissue abscesses in children has prompted us to seek an alternative to the traditional open incision and drainage (ID 134 of them underwent open I&D, whereas 85 were treated with subcutaneous drains. The demographics, anatomical location of the abscesses, and bacteriology were comparable between the 2 groups. There were equal number of patients in each group who presented with fever initially. Of those treated with open I&D, 4 had metachronous recurring abscesses within the same anatomical region and 1 patient required an additional procedure because of incomplete drainage. There were no recurrences or incomplete drainages in the subcutaneous drain group. The cosmetic appearance of the healed wound from subcutaneous drain placement during the immediate follow-up period is better than that of an open I&D. Conclusions Placement of a subcutaneous drain for community-acquired soft tissue abscesses in children is a safe and equally effective alternative to the traditional I&D.