Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Treatment of Abscess

See your GP if you have an abscess because it may need to be drained of pus to stop the infection spreading. This is particularly important if you have another condition such as diabetes, cancer or AIDS, or if your temperature goes over 38.3ºC (101 F).

You may need a small operation to open the abscess and let the pus drain out.  A tube or strip of rubber called a drain may be left in the abscess to stop it from healing over. Once the procedure is complete, the wound should heal in 14 days or less.

It is also possible to drain abscesses by inserting a fine plastic tube, called a drainage catheter, into it through the skin, with only a tiny incision. This procedure is called percutaneous (through the skin) abscess drainage.

You can have a local anaesthetic for most operations to drain abscesses on the skin.

Sometimes an abscess forms its own drainage track to the surface. This is called a sinus and tends to be permanent unless both the abscess and the track are removed surgically.

Antibiotics are only effective if the abscess wall is broken down. This is because they cannot penetrate the abscess wall the fight the infection inside.

A more complicated operation is needed to drain an abscess from inside the body. The techniques vary, depending on where the abscess is in the body.

• AbortionAbscessAccident and emergency departmentsAccidents and first aidAccidents to children in the homeAcneAcoustic neuromaActinomycosisAcupunctureAddictionsAddison's diseaseAdenoids and adenoidectomyAgoraphobiaAir embolismAlcohol misuseAllergiesAltitude sicknessAlzheimer's diseaseAmbulance ServiceAmniocentesisAmniotomyAmoebiasisAnaemiaAnaesthesiaAnaesthetic, generalAnaesthetic, localAnal fissureAnal fistulaAnaphylaxisAndrogen insensitivity syndromeAneurysmAnginaAngioedemaAngiographyAnkylosing spondylitisAnorexia nervosaAntacid drugsAntenatal careAntenatal screeningAnti-inflammatories, non-steroidalAnticoagulant drugsAntidepressant drugsAntifungal drugsAntihistamine drugsAnxietyAphasiaApnoeaAppendicitisArthritisArthroscopyArtificial inseminationAsbestosisAspergillosisAsthmaAstigmatismAtherosclerosisAthlete's footAtrial fibrillationAttention deficit hyperactivity disorderAutism

  ---