Trick of Trade: Incision and loop drainage using tourniquet

The technique for abscess drainage traditionally is incision and drainage (I&D). In August 2012, I wrote about incision and loop drainage (I&LD), which it seems has gained popularity over time with similar outcomes. This technique involves using a sterile vascular loop, which is thin and long enough to form a loose knotted loop. The video below by Dr. Rob Orman reviews the steps. But, what if you don’t have a vascular loop in the ED?

Trick of Trade: Incision and Loop Drainage using Tourniquet ¹

• Use a trimmed sterile tourniquet as the loop.
• Trim the tourniquet longitudinally.
• This strip was long and thin enough to allow us to tie a non-tensile loop through the abscess.

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