Maggot debridement therapy to treat hard-to-heal diabetic foot ulcers: a single-centre study

Objective: Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) has seen a resurgence in recent years in the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds, as a result of rising antibiotic resistance. The sterilised larvae of Lucilia cuprina have been used in MDT in Malaysia since 2003, with encouraging results for the treatment of hard-to-heal diabetic wounds. We report a case series of 30 patients selected from our clinic by convenient sampling with diabetic lower limb ulcers treated with MDT. The average age of patients receiving MDT was >50 years. Of the 30 patients in the study, nine were female and 21 were male. All patients had underlying diabetes, two patients had leg ulcers and 28 patients had diabetic foot ulcers. Sterilised Lucilia cuprina larvae were applied via a standard method of 10 maggots per square centimetre and dressed with sterile gauze. The study endpoint was defined as ≤5% coverage with slough or necrotic tissue following three successive applications of MDT. In this study, maximum debridement of wounds was achieved in 96.6% (29 patients) of our patients, with ≤5% coverage with slough or necrotic tissue, in addition to a reduction in wound-related pain, as assessed by a visual analogue scale. No adverse events were reported. The findings of this study support the use of MDT as a safe, efficacious, and cost-effective method of managing diabetic wounds.

Health professionals' perceptions of maggot debridement therapy

Background: Maggot debridement therapy (MDT), or the use of maggots in dead tissue removal, has been shown to be beneficial in wound healing. Yet MDT in the US is often only used once conventional debridement methods have failed. Method: In this study, nine health professionals, experienced in MDT, were interviewed in order to identify and analyse the perceived societal barriers to MDT acceptance and usage in the US. Results: Through qualitative analysis, using the grounded theory framework, this study found that among those interviewed, insurance reimbursement restrictions and stigmatisation of medicinal maggots were the factors driving resistance to MDT use. Conclusion: Specifically, the ‘yuck’ factor and the perception of MDT as an ‘ancient’ modality contributed towards MDT stigma; in addition, lack of outpatient insurance coverage deterred MDT use. These findings provide useful information regarding the perceptual and systemic barriers that prevent greater acceptance of MDT. Ultimately, these barriers must be understood if we are to facilitate MDT implementation and improve MDT usage in the future.

Clinical outcome of Maggot Debridement Therapy followed by Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for chronic hand wound with Multi-Drug Resistant Organism infection: Two cases and review of the literature

The advancement in science and research has led to development of medical maggots which feed exclusively on dead tissue. Medical maggots have three important functions namely debridement, disinfection, and stimulation of wound healing. The modern use of medical maggots now goes by the term “Maggot Debridement Therapy” (MDT) for use in wound management. MDT is still used infrequently due to the effectiveness of surgical debridement and antibiotics for treatment of wound infection. Lately, there was emergence of Multi-Drug Resistant Organism (MDRO) likely due to inappropriate antibiotics usage. Maggot secretions have been shown to be effective in inhibiting some MDRO, for example, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, thus making MDT an attractive option for wounds with MDRO. We report two patients with multiple medical comorbidities, diagnosed with serious MDRO Diabetic Hand Infections treated with three cycles of MDT followed by Negative Pressure Wound Therapy.

1172 Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT) In Treating Group A Streptococcus Necrotizing Fasciitis of The Lower Limb as A Part of Multimodal Therapy

Background Medical-grade maggots have been commercially available recently and today there is a resurge interest in MDT. They are approved for debridement of wounds with necrotic tissue, including pressure ulcers, venous ulcers. However, for necrotising fasciitis, it has been used with precaution due to the complexity of the disease. In our practice, Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) has been proven to be very effective in the treatment of gram-positive bacterial infections. Worldwide, Case reports on the results of 15 patients with necrotizing fasciitis treated with MDT have been reported. However, in current practice, Maggot Debridement therapy has not been widely applied. Case presentation A 63-year-old lady admitted to a general surgery ward with uncomplicated cellulitis of the right leg. After 2 days, the patient then was diagnosed with Necrotising fasciitis which was treated with wound debridement. Postoperative histopathology specimen confirmed necrotizing fasciitis V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy was used postoperatively followed by two more debridement sessions. To reduce the need for further surgical debridement Maggot Debridement Therapy was started. Over the next 3 weeks, six sessions of Maggot Debridement therapy were applied to the infected area. Skin grafting then was performed 3 months later. The patient then discharged home with regular surgical fellow up. Conclusions NF is a complex disease, associated with high morbidity and mortality. Multimodal therapies are essential to achieve aggressive yet conservative wound debridement with preservation of viable tissue. This case report showed that MDT is a feasible, safe, cost-effective option that to be added to the other treatment modalities

The Effect of Antibiotics on Lucilia sericata’s Maggot in the Treatment of Patients with Osteomyelitis

Objective: Applying antibiotics and maggot of Lucilia sericata, in our study, it was aimed to treat patients with osteomyelitis who had been treated with antibiotics, hyperbaric oxygen, vacuum, classical treatment methods and surgical debridement for a long time but did not show any improvement. Methods: Between July 2008 and September 2018, Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT) was planned for 257 patients with osteomyelitis, 74 women and 183 men. Before starting the treatment, the material was taken from the wounds of the patients and sent to the microbiology laboratory. The antibiotic treatment that was initiated in the patients was continued and L. sericata maggot were placed in their wounds twice a week, and they were removed from the wound after being held for 48-72 hours. Results: From 165 patients with ongoing oteomyelitis treatment, 156 patients (94.5%) were treated, but 9 patients (5.5%) were untreated.

Maggot debridement therapy for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers: robbing the rich past to give to the sore

A diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus that results in significant morbidity and mortality. The lifetime risk of a patient with diabetes developing a DFU is 15-25%1. Furthermore, the incidence of DFUs is increasing in line with the growing burden of diabetes worldwide. The number of lower limb amputations secondary to diabetes has reached an all-time high in England, with 26,378 recorded from 2014-2017, an increase of 19.4% from 2010-20132. Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) involves the application of sterile larvae, usually of the species Lucilla sericata (common green bottle fly), which remove devitalised tissue to promote wound healing. This historical therapy re-emerged in the 1990s to combat the increasing incidence of recalcitrant wounds, such as DFUs. Since its reintroduction, there has been ongoing debate in the medical literature regarding the efficacy of MDT in the treatment of DFUs and other chronic wounds. We present the case of a 57-year-old male admitted with diabetic foot sepsis and multiorgan failure and discuss how MDT was used to complement initial surgical and antibiotic management. A 14-day course of MDT improved wound debridement and decreased necrotic tissue burden, after which no further surgical interventions were needed. This case provides further evidence that MDT is effective in the selective debridement of necrotic tissue and can aid the preservation of limb length in DFU patients, thereby highlighting the importance of MDT in multispecialist diabetic foot care.