Placebo Controlled Study of Antibiotic Treatment of Soft Tissue Infection
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2005-03-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This study is to determine whether antibiotic therapy is needed for patients with non-life
threatening soft tissue infections. Most patients with these soft tissue infections are
presently treated with antibiotics. Many of these infections resolve without proper
antibiotic treatment. Treatment of patients with antibiotics after surgical drainage of an
abscess may not be necessary and indiscriminate use of antibiotics may lead to colonization
by drug-resistant organisms. Subsequent infection by drug resistant organisms may limit the
choice of antibiotics in more complicated infections. A comparison between antibiotic
treatment and no antibiotic treatment in surgically treated, uncomplicated soft tissue
infections is needed to address this very important question.