Clinical Trial: Assessing the Necessity of Prescribing Antibiotics (Clavulin or Clindamycin Versus Placebo) Post-peritonsillar Abscess Drainage

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Unknown status
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Comparing Post-drainage Treatment of Peritonsillar Abscesses With Antibiotics (Clavulin or Clindamycin) to Treating With Placebo - a Double-blinded Randomized Control Tria

Brief Summary: This study aims to look at the necessity for prescribing antibiotics post-drainage of peritonsillar abscesses (PTA). This will be a single-blinded randomized-control trial with two arms - patients receiving placebo versus those receiving a seven day course of oral Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid. The main objective measure will be to assess if there is resolution of the peri-tonsillar abscess and there has been no reaccumulation. Patients will be blinded to whether they receive placebo or amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Patients will be phoned after 7 days to assess if their symptoms have resolved via an over the phone questionnaire. Anaerobic and aerobic cultures will be obtained.

Detailed Summary:

This will be a single-blinded randomized-control trial enrolling all patients presenting to otolaryngology in London, ON with a PTA. Patients will be managed in a consistent protocol amongst team members. Diagnosis of a PTA will be made by the attending physician and/or ENT team. Patients presenting symptomatology will be recorded (e.g. trismus, dysarthria, dysphagia, documented fever, etc). Previous use of antibiotics prior to presentation will also be documented, as well as use of IV antibiotics at the time of initial assessment by the ER team. After the patient has been diagnosed, the patient will be given the option to enrol in the study. If the patient agrees to enrol in the study, the following will occur. Each patient will be randomized into one of two arms - those that will receive post-drainage antibiotics versus those that will receive placebo. If randomized to the antibiotic treatment arm, then each patient will be given Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid as the antibiotic treatment of choice for 7 days unless the patient has a pencillin-allergy. If so, they will be given clindamycin. All patients will be counselled to return to hospital if their symptoms persist. In addition, each patient will be contacted after 7 days to assess if their symptoms have resolved.

The patient's abscess aspirate will be sent for culture and sensitivity. The patient's identification number will be emailed to the study administrator via confidential hospital email and the patient will be given a unique study identification code. Pertinent epidemiological data will be collected from the emergency room consultation note dictated by the treating physician and stored in a separate database.

In the microbiology laboratory, the fluid aspirate will undergo aerobic culture. Anaerobic culture will be completed on each patient's sample that arrives,
Sponsor: Lawson Health Research Institute

Current Primary Outcome: Re-accumulation of the patient's peri-tonsillar abscess [ Time Frame: 30 days ]

Patients will be followed up at 2 time points - 7 days and 30 days. At 7 days, the patient will be called and asked to see if they have had resolution of their symptoms. We will again call within 30 days to see if symptoms have returned within that time frame.


Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: Lawson Health Research Institute

Dates:
Date Received: June 15, 2012
Date Started: June 2012
Date Completion: June 2014
Last Updated: October 24, 2012
Last Verified: October 2012