"Emergency Room Incision and Drainage of Perirectal Abscess is Equivalent to Incision and Drainage in the Operating...

Current guidelines for management of anorectal abscesses make no recommendations for operative vs bedside incision and drainage (I&D). The purpose of this study was to determine if management in the operating room is necessary to adequately drain anorectal abscesses and prevent short-term complications for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED).

Patients with perirectal abscesses were identified and divided into two groups based on intervention type: "bedside" or "operative." Demographic, laboratory, and encounter data were obtained from the medical record. Study outcomes included 30-day complications (return to the ED, reintervention, and readmission). Data were analyzed with univariate and multivariate analyses using SPSS (version 28).

A total of 113 patients with anorectal abscesses were identified. Sixty-six (58%) underwent bedside I&D and 47 (42%) operative I&D. The overall complication rate was 10%. A total of 9 patients (6 bedside and 3 operative) returned to the ED. Six of these patients required reintervention (5 bedside and 1 operative), and 1 was readmitted. Two patients from the bedside group required a second I&D during their index admission. Pre-procedure SIRS (P = .02) was found to be associated with 30-day complications. Provider specialty and training level were not associated with 30-day complications.

In this study, for patients presenting to the ED, bedside drainage was found to be an adequate management strategy to achieve complete drainage without a significant increase in the rate of complications when compared to operative drainage.