Maggot debridement therapy: free-range or contained? An in-vivo study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine which method of maggot debridement therapy--free-range or contained--is more effective for wound healing.


METHODS
In vivo study of 64 patients with 69 chronic wounds that showed signs of gangrenous or necrotic tissue. Patients were treated with either free-range or contained maggot debridement therapy according to maggot availability, dressing difficulty, and physician preference.


RESULTS
Significantly better outcomes were achieved with the free-range technique versus the contained technique (P = .028). With the free-range technique, the mean number of maggot applications and the total number of maggots per treatment were significantly lower than with the contained application technique (P = .028 and P < .001, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
This clinical in vivo study supports in vitro studies in which containment of maggots was found to reduce the effectiveness of maggot debridement therapy.
Steenvoorde
Pascal
P
Department of Surgery, Rijnland Hospital, Leiderdorp, The Netherlands.
Jacobi
Cathrien E
CE
Oskam
Jacques
J
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis / Q000628:therapy; D014945:Wound Healing; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*