Could a blue dye and laser zap abscess bacteria?
NCT ID NCT02240498
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early study tested whether a dye called methylene blue, activated by a laser, can safely sterilize deep abscess cavities during standard drainage. Twenty-one adults with abscesses requiring drainage received the treatment. The main goal was to check for safety issues like tissue damage or dye leakage, not yet to prove it works.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- methylene blue
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a new way to kill bacteria in deep abscesses during drainage, potentially reducing the need for repeated procedures or stronger antibiotics.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early phase 1 safety study with only 21 participants. It is not designed to prove effectiveness, and there are risks like damage to surrounding tissue or adverse reactions to methylene blue.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
-
21 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Sep 2014
- Finished
-
Sep 2023
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults 18 years or older * If female, patient must have negative pregnancy test * All patients with clinical symptoms (ex: fever, chills, pain, tachycardia, hypotension), laboratory (leukocytosis) and radiologic findings (thick walled, rim-enhancing collection with gas bubbles or air-fluid levels) compatible with an abscess that requires image-guided percutaneous drainage * Abscess cavity diameters will be less than or equal to 8 cm. However, abscess can be complex or loculated * Approval by the primary care team to pursue PDT and discuss enrollment with the patient Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy * Lactation * Allergy to contrast media, narcotics, sedatives, atropine or eggs * Necrotic tissue that requires surgical debridement * Severely compromised cardiopulmonary function or hemodynamic instability * Thrombocytopenia (\<50,000/mm3) * Uncorrectable coagulopathy * Poor kidney function (serum creatinine \>3mg/dl) * Lack of a safe pathway to the abscess or fluid collection * Unable or unwilling to understand or to provide informed consent * Unable or unwilling to undergo study procedures * Patient unable to cooperate with, or to be positioned for the procedure * Unable to comply with necessary follow up * Abscesses greater than 8 cm in diameter, multiple separate abscesses in different locations, and abscesses not amenable to safe percutaneous image-guided drainage. * Patient is currently taking serotonergic psychiatric medication
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Abscess are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, New York, 14642, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.