Maggot Therapy In Wound Care Essay

Maggot Therapy in Wound Care

Maggot therapy isn’t ones first thought for wound care, but it is becoming more accepted to treat wounds caused by diabetes and trauma. Taking a brief look back at the history of maggot therapy one can explain why it’s steadily reemerging, what makes it a useful tool, and why we should educate patients on this wound care option.

A chief orthopedic surgeon at Johns Hopkins named Dr. William Baer, MD, was one of the first clinicians to study the benefits of maggot therapy and optimize it. After a release of a publication of his work in 1931 many surgeons took note and started using maggot therapy.

Nearly a decade later maggot therapy was phased out. Antibiotics were on the rise and quickly made maggot therapy obsolete. (Ronald A. Sherman, 2014) There is a rise in the reemergence of maggot debridement therapy. Antibiotics are helpful for treating infections and infectious wounds. Unfortunately, there are certain bacteria that have developed their own defenses to

It is best to thoroughly educate them on the option of maggot debridement therapy. One can assume that patients will have many questions. The most common questions are: Is the treatment painful? Will the maggots burrow? and Will the maggots become flies in the wound? (Ronald A. Sherman, 2014). Most people do not feel pain with therapy. Medical maggots aren’t capable of burrowing because they cannot dissolve healthy tissue. The maggots will not become flies in the wound because they will not be on the wound long enough to become flies (Ronald A. Sherman, 2014). Assuring patients of the success of maggot therapy is essential.

In conclusion, Dr. Baer’s work will not be in vain. Due to drug resistant bacteria, maggot therapy is reemerging for wound care usage. They have a 100 year old history, but maggots are a secret weapon for making wounds healable. They can do their job in a matter of hours which makes them very