A ruptured or burst abscess is a collection of debris and bacteria that has now broken open allowing for the pus and other fluids to spread to other parts of the body. Depending upon where the abcess is located, a rupture could be exactly what you need to feel better and allow the abscess to drain. However, for some patients a rupture puts them at risk for serious medical problems including peritonitis. The moment you realize you have an abscess, your best bet is to get them treated so that they do not rupture and cause more harm.
What is an Abscess?
Abscesses develop because of inflammation localized within the body. Sometimes they develop as a response to an injury or when there is infection present in the body. When you’re injured the cells will begin to die and white blood cells gather in that area. This is how the pockets of pus and fluids begin to form. As a protective measure the body creates a defensive wall around those pockets closing off the passageways so that the contents cannot spread and cause damage to the rest of your body. When an abscess forms the area is generally very warm and tender to touch and also very swollen. They can form anywhere from inside of the body to on your skin.
Do Abscesses Heal On Their Own?
While some abscesses can reabsorb in the body and heal on their own, most of them do not do so. The longer an abscess is allowed to go untreated, the higher the risk is of it becoming ruptured. When the pocket bursts open it releases all of those nasty materials along with a very strong odor. While external ruptures are fairly easy to clean it is also possible that the abscess will rupture internally which could be room for panic. They can cause serious infections and other problems. For instance if an abscess is present in the bowel and ruptures it can release infection into the bowels and stomach cavity causing serious problems.
How Do You Treat a Ruptured Abscess?
Treating a ruptured abscess means that you will have to have the area completely cleaned out. It will also mean getting rid of some of the dead tissue if possible. This is done with a very thin needle and a draining tube which is inserted to allow the pus and bacteria to drain from the body. Once all the pus is removed the patients gets a bandage and are provided with antibiotics just in case the infection has spread. If you’ve received more than one abscess recently your doctor might also suggest that you get screened to figure out why this is happening and how they can prevent them from happening in the future.
The moment you have an abscess you should reach out to your healthcare provider. Allow them to evaluate it and discern whether or not it should be drained medically or if you can try it at home on your own. If by chance your abscess ruptures before you reach the doctor, be sure to try and keep the area cleaned until you get help so that it doesn’t spread elsewhere.