Fire Needle Combined Topical Mupirocin for the Treatment of Simple Skin Abscesses in Pediatric Patients: A Case Series

BACKGROUND: Skin abscesses are a common skin condition usually caused by bacterial infections and their incidence is increasing in children. Its current management strategy is still mainly incision and drainage, sometimes with antibiotics. In pediatric patients, surgical incision and drainage of skin abscesses is challenging compared to in adults because of their specific age and psychological characteristics and high aesthetic requirements. Therefore, it is important to seek better treatment options. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reported 17 cases of skin abscesses in pediatric patients aged 1 to 9 years. Ten cases had lesions on the face and neck and 7 cases on the trunk and limbs. They all received treatment based on fire needle combined with topical mupirocin. RESULTS: The lesions of all 17 pediatric patients healed within 4 to 14 days, with a median time of 6 days, and all achieved satisfactory results with no scarring left behind. No adverse events were observed in all patients, and no recurrence occurred within 4 weeks. CONCLUSION: For skin abscesses in pediatric patients, early application of a combination therapy based on fire needle is convenient, aesthetic, economical, safe and clinically important as an alternative to incision and drainage, and deserves further clinical promotion.