No abstract

Pilonidal sinus disease refers to a condition that affects approximately 0.7% of the population [1] where there is a small hole or tunnel in the skin often around the hair follicle in the natal cleft, forming a midline pit [2]. It can present acutely (or acutely recurrent within 6 weeks) where treatment involves draining the pus from the abscess or present as a chronic infection where the skin and tissues containing the sinus is removed. The condition, and treatment for pilonidal sinus often burden patients and caretakers with wound care and frequent visits to general practitioners (GPs) or hospital outpatient clinics [3]. For patients who present to hospitals with acute pilonidal abscess, the current practice is surgical drainage combined with antibiotic therapy. Wound swabs are routinely taken in the peri-operative period, and antibiotics are commonly initiated empirically pending culture and sensitivity results [2]. There are only a few studies that have reported observations on pilonidal abscess in the sacrococcygeal area, however, those studies that addressed superficial skin abscesses reported a limited role of wound culture results [4,5]. One study concluded that the use of postoperative antibiotics was guided by the patient's clinical picture, and that the microorganisms cultured were predictable, and sensitive to empirical antibiotics used in their institution [4]. The primary objective of this study was to determine the role of wound swabs in the management antibiotic therapy in patients with pilonidal abscess by analyzing the proportion of

2. Verwaal V, van Ruth S, de Bree E et al. Randomized trial of cytoreduction and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy versus systemic chemotherapy and palliative surgery in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal cancer.