Pediatric Surgical Approach To Childhood Abscess: A Study From An Outpatient Facility

Background/aim: Percutaneous abscess drainage is a frequent procedure in the pediatric surgery outpatient setting. However it has it's own drawbacks in the treatment and follow-up. In this study we aimd to evaluate the patients with abscesses who had been treated surgically. Methods: Within 2.5 year period we investigated the total admissions, patientts with abscess, their register cards, age, abscess localization, complications, bacterial growth in the abscess materials, anaerobic and aerobic bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria retrospectively. Results: Between Jan 1999 April 2001, the total admission was 6127 patients. Admission with abscess was 58 (0.94%). Mean age was 3.5 years. (11 days 15 years). Six patients were neonate (10.3%), 19 were under one year and 33 over one year. The frequent localization of abscess were: perianal; (n=18), submandibular; (n=6), axillar; (n=4), cervical; (n=3). Other localizations were mammary, gluteal region, upper extremities and periauricular region (n=25). Mainly local (n=56, 96%) anesthesia was used. Empirical antibiotic was initiated and changed if necessary according to the bacterial growth (BG). No major complication was observed. BG demonstrated on bacterial culture of 45 of 58 admission (77%). In 15.5% (n=7) of cultured abscesses grew aerobes and 4.4% (n=2) anaerobes exclusively. 44.4% (n=20) grew a mixture of aerobes and anaerobes. 33.3% (n=15) grew a mixture of aerobes and aerobes. It has been only one growth on mycobacterium tuberculosis. Predominant aerobic organisms were Enterobacter (n=16, 17.5%), S. Aureus(n=15, 16.4%), Enterococcus (n=15, 16.4%), E. Coli (n=13,14,2%) and predominant anaerobic organism was Propionibacterium acnes (n=7, 7.7%). Enterobacter and E. Coli have susceptibility against to sefaperazon-sulbactam and all S. Aureus susceptible to meticillin. S. Aureus and Enteroccocus are sensible to ampicillin-sulbactam and amoxicillin-clavulonic acid.