New Evidence Supports “Loop Drain” Method

A Trial Compares Loop Drainage to Traditional Incision and Drainage:

A new article is providing strong evidence in favor of the “loop drain” method for abscess treatment as opposed to traditional incision and drainage. The article, “Loop Drainage Is Noninferior to Traditional Incision and Drainage of Cutaneous Abscesses in the Emergency Department”, based on a prospective randomized controlled trial with 238 subjects, concludes the following:

“Our study provides evidence that LD is noninferior to I&D in achieving complete abscess resolution at 14 days and is associated with fewer return ED visits and fewer complications. This makes it an attractive alternative treatment option for abscesses.”

Mar-Med designed our Derma-Stent to improve upon the “loop drain” improvised method, where clinicians tie elastic materials into a loop through two holes of an abscess. Mar-Med’s Derma-Stent can be used in 1 or 2 incisions and does not require tying a knot to stay in place.

Changing clinical practice can be a lengthy process and requires convincing evidence. Many clinicians have adopted the loop drain method over traditional I&D believing it is more comfortable, efficacious and easier for the patient to self-manage. But data on this topic has been limited by small sample sizes and predominantly retrospective study designs. With the help of this article more convincing evidence is now available.

For more information or to request samples of our Derma-Stent device, please visit https://marmed.com/products/derma-stent/