It is quite reasonable for a GP to drain an obvious abscess in the perianal area, says Dr John Lumley
It is quite reasonable for a GP to drain an obvious abscess in the perianal area, says Dr John Lumley.
“If someone presents to the ER with a perianal abscess they are usually waiting 24 hours to get a drainage under anaesthetic,” Dr John Lumley, a colorectal surgeon and the director of colorectal diagnostics, explains in the following video.
[media_embed] https://player.vimeo.com/video/203407998[/media_embed]
“If it is an obvious abscess in the perianal area, I think it is quite reasonable for a GP to put a needle in it and suck the pus out because that is what I do in my rooms,” he says.
“And if you [the GP] can suck the pus out and put them on antibiotics, often that fixes the problem, unless it develops as a fistula but no harm has been done.”
