Maggot Therapy

I was just two weeks into my internal medicine rotation at Suez Canal University in Egypt, when I encountered a case that I still remember to this day. Ms. Rafat was an elderly diabetic patient that came into our clinic complaining of a persistent wound on the sole of her foot. Upon removing her boots, her complaint turned out to be a foot ulcer with an infection extending to the first and second metatarsal bones .Unfortunately for her, we had to break the news to her and her family that her foot would need amputation. Ms. Rafat was understandably upset but took the news in stride. Following up on her case, I learned that after the surgery, the blood flow to her leg became increasingly poor and she had to return to have a below the knee amputation. Ms. Rafat ended up dying of pulmonary embolism as a complication of her second surgery. This case stayed with me not only because it

Clinical research on the bio-debridement effect of maggot therapy for treatment of chronically infected lesions

The aim of treatment of wound management in Mr BW was to safely allow the exudation of pus to drain freely from the wound in order to expedite wound healing. At the same time, to consider the level of comfort, prevent further infection, increased mobility and ensure nutritional

In this paper we will present critical analysis on the different views on nursing the wound dressing focusing primarily on the possible infections ranging from technique to use of silver to the overall impact made by these choices.

Reynolds was a Union infantry general that had great talent with battlefield positioning. He was very intelligent and strategic. His wound was infected with dirt debris and whatever else lay on the dirt road. The story states, “Reynolds lay in the dirt road, aides bending over him.”(202) In the story he was left untreated and died shortly after the battle of Gettysburg had begun. In this medical day of age the soldier would have immediately been rinsed with water to remove everything from the wound. Then cleaning agents such as alcohol and hydrogen peroxide would be used. The wound would lastly be covered with a gauze and wrapped in

The bacteria spread fast, leaving the leg unsalvageable. The question on all of our minds was why the patient had waited so long to seek treatment. Surely she was in a lot of pain, and that odor... why wait? The answer was purely financial. Money deterred her from seeking treatment which caused a

DOI: 8/27/2014. The patient is a 45-year-old male laborer who sustained a work-related injury when he stepped on a sharp foreign object which pierced his skin. As per OMNI, he was diagnosed with open wound on the foot.

Chapter thirteen features a twenty-three-year-old woman who came in with a red and swollen leg; typical cellulitis. She had a blister on her foot, sweats, chills, a 103 degree fever, and the skin up to her calf was red. Her doctor had ‘treated’ it with intravenous fluids, a tetanus shot, and a prescription for antibiotics. Then, the doctor had drawn a black line along the top of the redness and told her to come back if it spreads further. The following morning, a rash and more pain had developed along with the redness now reaching a portion of her thigh. Dr. Gawande began the exam by asking about any ulcers or pus, then checked the rash and leg. He came to the same conclusion as her doctor, cellulitis, but decided to check for necrotizing fasciitis based on a gut feeling and a

Wound-care clinics around the country are giving maggots a try on some of their sickest patients after high-tech treatments fail.

If the infection in the feet and toes entered the bones, it could cause them to soften, which could result in toes falling off; although, this was seen as an advantage because the feet could then be bound even more

The purpose of this paper is to discuss necrotizing fasciitis and discuss its treatments as well as practices that are currently being tested. This paper will also mention how to prevent necrotizing fasciitis. Necrotizing fasciitis is a flesh eating disease that attacks the subcutaneous layer of flesh. It is most common in patients with lowered immune systems as well as preexisting chronic diseases. Treatments include prompt surgery and debridement as well as the experiment hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

The practice of wound healing through incision and drainage dates back to 1400 B.C. in ancient Egypt (Broughton et al., 2006). With over two millennia worth of advances in medical technology and the revolution of antibiotics, the ancient practice of wound healing evolved to shape protocols used today. One of the most common, current practices for treating abscesses involves incision and drainage followed by packing

All kinds of arthropods and insects have been and are still employed in many medical treatments since antiquity. These living organisms are believed to carry myriads of therapeutic benefits, since they are not biochemically-engineered, perhaps a natural remedy. Despite their medical significance, many of these practices have ceased to exist in today’s society, since there are insufficient scientific evidences to elicit if they are truly efficient and safe for the human body. In accordance to today’s medical perspective and ideology, these treatments may have also been terminated due to the disgust that is engendered upon the patients as well as the ethical issues associated with the use of insects. Furthermore, the shortcomings of some of these ancient therapies might be largely due to the advancements in medical technologies. In spite of this, modern technologies are still not completely efficient, safe, applicable, and accessible to everyone, since some of the patients might be too vulnerable to tolerate the consequences associated with each therapy as well as prices that could be unaffordable. With these limitations, many clinicians are turning back towards the “ancient technologies” with tools and wisdoms of the 21st century (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2771513/pdf/dst-03-0336.pdf). Among all of the ancient insect-based therapies that were abolished, the maggot therapy is one of the few that has now been brought back

This startling hypothesis led Semmelweis to devise a novel system of prophylaxis ( to stop rather than cure or treat a disease) in May 1847. Realizing that the smell from the hands of the dissectors reflected the presence of the incriminated poisonous matter, he suggested the use of a solution of chlorinated lime for washing hands between autopsy work and examination of patients.Despite early protests, especially from the medical students and hospital staff, Semmelweis was able to enforce the new procedure vigorously; and in barely one month the mortality from puerperal fever declined in his clinic from 12.24 percent to 2.38 percent. Semmelweis refused to communicate his method officially to the learned circles of Vienna, nor was he eager to explain it on paper.

In the Franco-German War Pasteur made an spectacular finding! He theorized, as he saw the wounds on the soldiers and the unsterilized instruments that were used, that the “diseases and infections were caused by microbes” (Notable Biographies, 2008). He proposed to heat the sterilize the instruments by