How is purulent drainage treated?
Your provider will consider these factors when determining how to manage purulent drainage:
- Type of wound.
- Location of the infection in your body.
- How long it’s been since your initial surgery or injury.
- Your specific medical needs.
The first goal of treatment is to address the underlying cause of infection and prevent further drainage. The second goal is to balance the moisture around your wound and keep the skin around it healthy while you heal. To do this, your provider may use a wide range of absorbent dressings and bandages made from things like collagens and hydrocolloids. These materials help maintain a moist healing environment and encourage new tissue growth.
In addition to using dressings, providers use a variety of approaches when treating purulent drainage, like:
- Antibiotics. These medications are often a first-line treatment for purulent drainage. But your provider might run lab tests first to confirm that the infection is bacterial in nature. The results can also help them determine which antibiotic will be most effective. (If you have a viral or fungal infection, your provider may consider antivirals or antifungals as part of your treatment.)
- Negative pressure wound therapy. This treatment uses a pump and suction tubing to pull fluid away from the wound.
- Incision and drainage (I and D). Providers sometimes use this minor surgical procedure to drain an abscess (pocket of pus) from a wound.
How can I treat purulent drainage at home?
Your healthcare provider will show you how to clean and dress your wound properly at home. They can give you dressing materials and detailed instructions to help.
If you have an infected wound, it’s important to schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider. Don’t try to treat it at home. Here are some tips for keeping your wound clean in the meantime:
- Wash the skin around your wound thoroughly with antibacterial soap and water.
- Use clean tweezers to remove any dirt or debris in the wound.
- Use an antiseptic solution to clean your skin.
- Apply an over-the-counter antibacterial ointment to the skin around your wound.
What are the possible complications of not treating purulent drainage?
Left untreated, a wound with purulent drainage can turn into a chronic wound (also called a non-healing wound). This refers to a wound that doesn’t heal within eight weeks. This type of infection can spread to other areas of your body, causing increased pain and a range of health complications, including:
Can purulent drainage be prevented?
The best way to reduce your risk of purulent drainage is to clean and dress your wound properly. Ask your healthcare provider how to do this. If you notice thick, milky or foul-smelling pus draining from your wound, tell your provider immediately.
Additionally, be sure to visit a healthcare provider for any medical conditions that increase your risk of infection.
FAQs
Infections need treatment right away, which may include cleaning the wound, applying new dressings, and sometimes antibiotics. Other types of wound drainage, such as serous (thin and watery) or sanguineous (bloody), are normal during the healing process but should also be closely watched.
How to treat purulent wound drainage? ›
How can I treat purulent drainage at home?
- Wash the skin around your wound thoroughly with antibacterial soap and water.
- Use clean tweezers to remove any dirt or debris in the wound.
- Use an antiseptic solution to clean your skin.
- Apply an over-the-counter antibacterial ointment to the skin around your wound.
A: Purulent wounds require dressings that trap the exudate and balance the moisture in the wound site. Alginate dressings contain seaweed fibres and sodium, which absorbs excess liquid and form a gel that aids the healing process. These dressings should be changed every two days.
Should I drain the pus out of an infected wound? ›
If a skin abscess doesn't drain on its own, call your doctor. Sometimes skin abscesses need to be drained by the doctor. The doctor will apply a numbing medicine, then make a tiny cut in the top of the abscess to let the pus drain out. The cut is left open to drain and then heal on its own.
How do you treat an infected wound? ›
Use an antibiotic ointment (such as Polysporin). No prescription is needed. Put it on the wound 3 times a day. If the area could become dirty, cover with a bandage (such as Band-Aid).
Should I clean purulent drainage? ›
If you have purulent discharge or other symptoms of infection, you will need treatment so that it doesn't get worse. Your doctor may need to clean the wound and apply new dressings. They can rinse the site with an antibiotic solution if the infection is small.
Should I pop purulent drainage? ›
It may drain naturally, but you shouldn't attempt to drain or burst an abscess at home. If you try to squeeze the pus out of an abscess yourself, it can easily spread the bacteria to other areas of your skin. Your healthcare provider may prescribe an antibiotic.
How long does purulent drainage last? ›
A wound giving off purulent drainage usually indicates it has acquired an infection, which can worsen if left untreated. Wounds with an infection may become chronic, which occurs when they last for more than 2–3 months without healing.
What antibiotics treat purulent wound? ›
Systemic antibiotics such as Penicillin, Clindamycin, Dicloxacillin, Cephalexin, Doxycycline, Minocycline, Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and Vancomycin are used to treat complicated skin infections.
What cream is good for purulent wounds? ›
Try an antiseptic cream, such as Savlon®. If the redness is spreading or the wound starts to ooze pus, see your doctor or nurse.
Don't squeeze the pus out of the abscess yourself. This is because this can easily spread the bacteria to other areas of your skin. If you use tissues to wipe any pus away from your abscess, dispose of them straight away to avoid germs spreading. Wash your hands after you've disposed of the tissues.
How to draw out an infection from a wound? ›
Antibiotics are used to treat most wound infections. Sometimes, you also may need surgery to treat the infection. You may be started on antibiotics to treat the surgical wound infection. The length of time you will need to take the antibiotics varies, but will typically be for at least 1 week.
Is it good for pus to come out? ›
It may have no scent at all. But pus is a natural part of the healing process for wounds. Pus is a sign that a wound is infected but it is also a sign that your body is trying to fight the infection and heal the injury. Once an infection has started, your immune system begins trying to fight it off.
How can you tell if a wound is septic? ›
- Cuts that have pus or liquid. ...
- Red skin around the injury. ...
- Swelling that gets worse after a few days. ...
- A pimple or yellowish crust on top. ...
- Sores that look like blisters. ...
- Pain that gets worse after a few days. ...
- The wound hasn't healed. ...
- High fever.
What not to do
- Don't pick your wound or scab as it can rip the new skin underneath and take longer to heal12
- Don't use hydrogen peroxide or iodine to clean your wound as this can cause further irritation.
A person may be able to treat a mild infection of a small wound at home by recleaning and redressing the wound. However, more severe wound infections require prompt medical attention, particularly with fever, feeling unwell, or discharge and red streaks from the wound.
What antibiotics are used for purulent drainage? ›
Oral regimens – For most patients with skin abscess, oral antibiotic therapy is sufficient. We suggest trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, doxycycline, or minocycline (Grade 2C). We reserve clindamycin and other agents for patients who cannot take our preferred antibiotics.
How do you treat pus drainage? ›
Abscess drainage is usually a safe and effective way of treating a bacterial infection of the skin. A doctor will numb the area around the abscess, make a small incision, and allow the pus inside to drain. This, and sometimes a course of antibiotics, is really all that's involved.
