title: Wound debridement: lessons learned of when and how to remove "wild" maggots.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Wounds, particularly chronic wounds, are a common presentation to the Emergency Department (ED), and in severe cases can contain maggots. Maggot debridement therapy is a popular technique for wound debridement, but is limited to the use of sterilized larvae due to concerns of contamination and invasion of "wild" maggots into healthy tissue. Wild maggots in chronic wounds, therefore, should be removed, yet there is no reported literature that describes a technique for their removal.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article presents a step-by-step approach for the safe removal of "wild" larvae in a wound using Yankauer suction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a case of a homeless man presenting to the ED with a foot wound found to have "wild" maggots that required removal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The technique described in this article is a simple, safe, and efficient way for the Emergency Physician to remove "wild" larvae from wounds.
authors.affiliation: Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Medicine Residency, Division of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, California.
authors.forename: Joshua W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Elder
authors.forename: Casey A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Grover
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018409:Foot Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009198:Myiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D013396:Suction
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Emergency Department; larvae; maggots; wound debridement