ear, nose, and throat disorders
How To Drain a Peritonsillar Abscess
Tips and Tricks for Draining a Peritonsillar Abscess
A headlamp is essential because it allows the use of both hands: one to perform the needle aspiration and the other to depress the tongue with a tongue blade. When anesthetic is injected at the correct depth, the mucosa should blanch due toepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction. For needle aspiration, to limit depth of penetration, some clinicians cut off the distal 1 cm of the plastic needle sheath and replace it over the needle, thus leaving only 1 cm of needle protruding. Tape the sheath onto the syringe so it does not fall off and become aspirated. Similarly for incision and drainage, some clinicians apply tape to all but the distal 0.5 to 1 cm of the scalpel blade as a depth guide. If pus continues to drain from the needle puncture site, repeat aspiration or incision and drainage may be indicated. 