Antibiotics For Abscesses

by Matthew Songin Patient Caseson Posted on

Antibiotics For Abscesses

A 23-year-old patient receives incision and drainage in the ED for a small abscess on his back and is discharged. Should he have received a prescription for TMP-SMX?

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Best Answer

Yes

Explanation: Incision & drainage (I&D) alone without antibiotics was recommended in the 2014 IDSA Skin and soft tissue infection guidelines for mild skin abscesses, however there has since been two randomized controlled trials that have demonstrated the superiority of TMP-SMX or clindamycin over placebo. As such, newer 2020 guidelines form the Surgical Infection Society recommend 7-10 days of TMP-SMX or clindamycin in addition to I&D for simple skin abscesses.

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