Cutaneous AbscessNCT02822768
Packing Versus no Packing for Cutaneous Abscess
A study testing Packing and No packing in people with Cutaneous Abscess, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to examine patients undergoing incision and drainage of cutaneous abscesses to determine if routine packing of the abscess cavity affects the need for further interventions such as repeat incision and drainage, antibiotic administration or hospital admission. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Cutaneous Abscess
- What is being tested?
- Packing and No packing
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 172 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Aug 2016to Apr 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- All patients 18 years of age and above
- Patients that require a cutaneous abscess incision and drainage
- English-speaking subjects only
Who cannot join
- Unable to return for 48-hour follow-up.
- Patients being admitted to the hospital or going to the operating room for incision and drainage
- Pregnant patients
- Patients less than 18 years of age
- Prisoners or persons in police custody
- Patients with infected bursa
- Non-English speaking subjects
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Community Regional Medical Center
Fresno, California, 93701
About this study
Official title: Is Routine Packing of Cutaneous Abscesses Necessary?
The goal of this study is to examine patients undergoing incision and drainage of cutaneous abscesses to determine if routine packing of the abscess cavity affects the need for further interventions such as repeat incision and drainage, antibiotic administration or hospital admission.
Read the detailed description
Study protocol:
- Identification of a patient with a cutaneous abscess requiring incision and drainage
- Written consent obtained from the patient
- Study materials will be obtained
- Enrolling physician fills out pre-procedure information (see data sheet)
- Enrollment data sheet has instructions indicating whether patient is to receive packing or not
- Use of random number generator to randomize all packets
- Provider does abscess incision and drainage with or without packing according to the instructions
- Enrolling physician fills out post-procedure information (see data sheet)
- Patient returns within 48 hours for wound check with removal of packing if performed
- Research coordinator or study physician calls the patient within 14 and 30 days after the procedure for follow-up
- Information from a return visit and/or the telephone follow-up
- Conditions
- Cutaneous Abscess
- Being tested
- Packing, No packing
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
PackingProcedure or surgery
The patient will receive packing as part of their wound care
No packingOther
The patient will not receive packing as part of their wound care
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Packing | Active comparator | The patient is to have a long piece of gauze within the abscess cavity in an attempt to keep it open and allow purulent material to continue to drain after the initial incision and release of purulent material has been performed. Receives: Procedure: Packing |
| No packing | Placebo comparator | The patient is not to have packing of the abscess as part of the incision and drainage procedure Receives: Other: No packing |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Percentage of patients needing further treatment
follow-up call to determine if patient required further treatment beyond routine care
Measured: 14 days
Secondary outcomes (1)
Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS pain) post procedure
Measure pain score after procedure
Measured: 14 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Jul 2016 (estimated)
- Study startAug 2016
- Primary completionApr 2026
- Study completionApr 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (7)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Cutaneous AbscessStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, San FranciscoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Enrolment
- 172 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San Francisco
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Michael Darracq, MD, MPH, Principal investigator, UCSF - Fresno
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02822768
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2016052
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 30 Jun 2016
- Last updated
- 28 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
O'Malley GF, Dominici P, Giraldo P, Aguilera E, Verma M, Lares C, Burger P, Williams E. Routine packing of simple cutaneous abscesses is painful and probably unnecessary. Acad Emerg Med. 2009 May;16(5):470-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2009.00409.x. Epub 2009 Apr 10.
PubMed 19388915Abraham N, Doudle M, Carson P. Open versus closed surgical treatment of abscesses: a controlled clinical trial. Aust N Z J Surg. 1997 Apr;67(4):173-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1997.tb01934.x.
PubMed 9137156Stewart MP, Laing MR, Krukowski ZH. Treatment of acute abscesses by incision, curettage and primary suture without antibiotics: a controlled clinical trial. Br J Surg. 1985 Jan;72(1):66-7. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800720125.
PubMed 3881155Barnes SM, Milsom PL. Abscesses: an open and shut case! Arch Emerg Med. 1988 Dec;5(4):200-5. doi: 10.1136/emj.5.4.200.
PubMed 3069102Simms MH, Curran F, Johnson RA, Oates J, Givel JC, Chabloz R, ALexander-Williams J. Treatment of acute abscesses in the casualty department. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1982 Jun 19;284(6332):1827-9. doi: 10.1136/bmj.284.6332.1827.
PubMed 6805714Sorensen C, Hjortrup A, Moesgaard F, Lykkegaard-Nielsen M. Linear incision and curettage vs. deroofing and drainage in subcutaneous abscess. A randomized clinical trial. Acta Chir Scand. 1987 Nov-Dec;153(11-12):659-60.
PubMed 3324596Tonkin DM, Murphy E, Brooke-Smith M, Hollington P, Rieger N, Hockley S, Richardson N, Wattchow DA. Perianal abscess: a pilot study comparing packing with nonpacking of the abscess cavity. Dis Colon Rectum. 2004 Sep;47(9):1510-4. doi: 10.1007/s10350-004-0620-1. Epub 2004 Jul 8.
PubMed 15486749
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Is Routine Packing of Cutaneous Abscesses Necessary?
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02822768
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2016052
- Conditions
- Cutaneous Abscess
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 172 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San FranciscoUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Aug 2016 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Apr 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- Apr 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 4 Jul 2016 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this study is to examine patients undergoing incision and drainage of cutaneous abscesses to determine if routine packing of the abscess cavity affects the need for further interventions such as repeat incision and drainage, antibiotic administration or hospital admission.
Detailed description
Study protocol:
- Identification of a patient with a cutaneous abscess requiring incision and drainage
- Written consent obtained from the patient
- Study materials will be obtained
- Enrolling physician fills out pre-procedure information (see data sheet)
- Enrollment data sheet has instructions indicating whether patient is to receive packing or not
- Use of random number generator to randomize all packets
- Provider does abscess incision and drainage with or without packing according to the instructions
- Enrolling physician fills out post-procedure information (see data sheet)
- Patient returns within 48 hours for wound check with removal of packing if performed
- Research coordinator or study physician calls the patient within 14 and 30 days after the procedure for follow-up
- Information from a return visit and/or the telephone follow-up
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Packing | Active comparator | Procedure: PackingThe patient is to have a long piece of gauze within the abscess cavity in an attempt to keep it open and allow purulent material to continue to drain after the initial incision and release of purulent material has been performed. |
| No packing | Placebo comparator | Other: No packingThe patient is not to have packing of the abscess as part of the incision and drainage procedure |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- All patients 18 years of age and above
- Patients that require a cutaneous abscess incision and drainage
- English-speaking subjects only
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Unable to return for 48-hour follow-up.
- Patients being admitted to the hospital or going to the operating room for incision and drainage
- Pregnant patients
- Patients less than 18 years of age
- Prisoners or persons in police custody
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| PackingThe patient will receive packing as part of their wound care | Procedure or surgery | Packing |
| No packingThe patient will not receive packing as part of their wound care | Other | No packing |
Primary outcome
Percentage of patients needing further treatment
Time frame: 14 days
follow-up call to determine if patient required further treatment beyond routine care
1 secondary outcome
Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS pain) post procedure
Time frame: 14 days
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Sep 2026.
- Background: PubMed 19388915O'Malley GF, Dominici P, Giraldo P, Aguilera E, Verma M, Lares C, Burger P, Williams E. Routine packing of simple cutaneous abscesses is painful and probably unnecessary. Acad Emerg Med. 2009 May;16(5):470-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2009.00409.x. Epub 2009 Apr 10.
- Background: PubMed 9137156Abraham N, Doudle M, Carson P. Open versus closed surgical treatment of abscesses: a controlled clinical trial. Aust N Z J Surg. 1997 Apr;67(4):173-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1997.tb01934.x.
- Background: PubMed 3881155Stewart MP, Laing MR, Krukowski ZH. Treatment of acute abscesses by incision, curettage and primary suture without antibiotics: a controlled clinical trial. Br J Surg. 1985 Jan;72(1):66-7. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800720125.
- Background: PubMed 3069102Barnes SM, Milsom PL. Abscesses: an open and shut case! Arch Emerg Med. 1988 Dec;5(4):200-5. doi: 10.1136/emj.5.4.200.
- Background: PubMed 6805714Simms MH, Curran F, Johnson RA, Oates J, Givel JC, Chabloz R, ALexander-Williams J. Treatment of acute abscesses in the casualty department. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1982 Jun 19;284(6332):1827-9. doi: 10.1136/bmj.284.6332.1827.
- Background: PubMed 3324596Sorensen C, Hjortrup A, Moesgaard F, Lykkegaard-Nielsen M. Linear incision and curettage vs. deroofing and drainage in subcutaneous abscess. A randomized clinical trial. Acta Chir Scand. 1987 Nov-Dec;153(11-12):659-60.
- Background: PubMed 15486749Tonkin DM, Murphy E, Brooke-Smith M, Hollington P, Rieger N, Hockley S, Richardson N, Wattchow DA. Perianal abscess: a pilot study comparing packing with nonpacking of the abscess cavity. Dis Colon Rectum. 2004 Sep;47(9):1510-4. doi: 10.1007/s10350-004-0620-1. Epub 2004 Jul 8.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Michael Darracq, MD, MPH principal investigator
UCSF - Fresno
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Packing and No packing in people with Cutaneous Abscess, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Percentage of patients needing further treatment (time frame: 14 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02822768, which also lists 7 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Sep 2026.