The association between patient age, abscess size, and white blood cell count on duration of catheter stay for percutaneous abscess drainage of abdominal abscesses

Abstract

ObjectiveKnowing factors that impact catheter stay duration is important since removing drainage catheters too early or late can have significant consequences. We present a single center retrospective study that analyzes multiple variables, including abscess size, white blood cell count, and patient age, to see if a correlation between them and duration of catheter stay exists. The inclusion criteria were patients that had abdominal abscesses treated with percutaneous abscess drainage using a pigtail catheter, ≥ 18 years of age, and had available medical images and records. 44 patients were included.ResultsAmong white blood cell count, patient age, and abscess volume, the only significant relationship with duration of catheter stay was abscess size (R = 0.42, p-value = 0.0049).