200 patients sought for trial looking at how efficient maggots are at wound cleaning. (UK) saves $$!

[lindisfarne]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8140366.stm

Cardiff University is teaming up with Bridgend-based ZooBiotic, the UK's only commercial producer of medicinal-quality larvae for the 12-month trial.

Eight hospitals across England and Wales will collaborate on the project.

Researchers will gather evidence over 12 months how effective maggots can be in speeding up healing and cutting the length of hospital stays.

Prof Keith Harding, head of Cardiff University's department of wound healing, said Wales was leading the way in this area of research.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that maggots are extremely successful in the speedy and effective cleaning of wounds and the year-long trial aims to translate that into hard evidence.
===============
My great-grandfather (death 1967 in his 90s) lived for many years with maggots in his leg. Physicians wanted to amputate but he refused to allow them to.

Maggots are much cheaper than meds, and more effective, according to another article at site.


See also Maggots clearing up MRSA:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/6614471.stm

[Crunchy Frog]

1. That's socialized medicine for you.

:evilgrin:

[Bobbieo]

2. The treatment cured my friend's persistent leg ulcers at

Yuma Regional Med Center a few years ago.

[Birdiesmom]

3. I wonder if this could help diabetics avoid losing more of their feet/legs.

It seems that when a diabetic's toe gets infected, and is removed, then the next thing you know, they are removing a part of the foot, then the whole foot, then part of the leg, etc. Maybe maggots could help stop that progression...

Just a thought.

[lindisfarne]

6. Already being used with diabetics. But not necessarily widely. Patients may have to bring it up

themselves.

[comrade snarky]

4. It's an old treatment

Maggots eat necrotic (dead) flesh and leave the healthy stuff.

Of course for me to use it there would have to be a vaccine against death by severe Heebie Jebies.

[kestrel91316]

5. Everything old is new again: maggots, leeches, honey dressings.

[Occulus]

7. ANECDOTAL evidence?!??

I saw this in a documentary on Discovery years ago. Like, ten years or so. They also covered medicinal leeches (used in reattachment procedures, like if you were to lose a finger- they keep blood from pooling during the process).

Maggots only eat dead flesh- living flesh is completely untouched Their actions (including their movement) actually help keep the area clean and stimulate more rapid and more complete healing.

I mean, yeah, it's a bit disgusting, but.... it works. Quite well, from what I recall seeing and later reading about it.

[Swede]

8. It was used on a wounded soldier on that PBS documentary The War.

I forget his name,but he was wounded in Italy. When he got to a hospital in the rear,a doctor applied maggots to his arm,even though he was told he would lose it. It saved his arm.

[scubadude]

9. As far as maggots eating only dead flesh, I can guarantee you that's not true.

I wont go into too much detail but I have seen them eating the living flesh of an animal who was otherwise in good health. Ask a Veterinarian, they deal with this from time to time, especially out in rural areas.

On edit I guess there may be different kinds of maggots.

Scuba