Maggots may debride chronic venous ulcers more effectively.

MedPage Today (12/20, Walsh) reports, "A week of wound debridement using maggots cleared necrotic tissue more effectively than conventional debridement in patients with chronic venous ulcers," according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the Archives of Dermatology. "At day eight of treatment, the percentage of the wound area covered by slough was 54.5% in patients given maggot therapy, compared with 66.5% (P=0.04) of the wound area in a control group." Still, "there was no difference between the groups in percentage of the necrotic tissue on the wound at day 15 (55.4% versus 53.8%, P=0.78), which was the study's primary endpoint." This led the study authors to suggest that therapy with maggots should stop once debridement is complete.

        In the study of 105 patients with leg ulcers that would not heal, approximately "80 maggots were placed in a dressing over the wound twice a week for two weeks," WebMD (12/20, Mann) reports. The article goes on to point out that the Food and Drug Administration "regulates the use of maggots, and they are only available via prescription" in the US. "They are mainly used to treat diabetic ulcers and pressure ulcers, but can also have a role in treating post-surgery wounds that are slow to heal and may become infected." Also covering the story are Reuters (12/20, Joelving) and Medscape (12/20, Hitt).