Unexpected Findings on Point-of-Care Superficial Ultrasound Imaging Before Incision and Drainage

Cutaneous abscesses are typically incised and drained on the basis of clinical assessment. In most cases this procedure is a safe practice. We report 6 cases in which point-of-care ultrasound interrogation of obvious abscesses revealed potential serious complications with planned incision and drainage. Management was altered in 5 of 6 cases, and potential vascular disasters were avoided. In 1 case, the ultrasound results were ignored, and incision and drainage was completed, confirming the suspected abscess was indeed a solid mass later diagnosed as a carcinoma. In this case series, point-of-care ultrasound interrogation provided rapid assessment and discovery of potentially catastrophic anatomic relationships, avoiding serious complications.