Aims: Microbiological swabs are often taken at the time of surgery for the treatment of acute pilonidal abscesses. This audit assessed whether swabs play a role in the management of these patients. Methods: A retrospective audit of electronic records was undertaken over a 2-year period between 1st January 2012 and December 31st 2013. Variables measured included patient sex, episode index, swab results, antibiotic use and recurrences. Results: Over the 2-year period there were 182 operations for acute pilonidal abscesses. Microbiological swabs were taken in 151 cases (83%). The most common culture was anaerobe (36%) followed by no growth (19%) and skin flora (8%). In total, 114 reports (94%) were issued after the patient had been discharged. Post-operative antibiotics were prescribed in 15 cases (8%) and within this group 9 patients (60%) had no growth on swab results. There were 11 recurrences (6%) with no correlation between the initial swab results and recurrent swab results being observed. Conclusions: In this audit, swab results did not alter any patient's treatment and nearly all reports were issued after the patient had been discharged. Recurrent abscesses do not appear to be linked to initial swab results.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)