Credits: Social Media
Finding out live maggots are used to treat wounds is making people’s ‘stomach turn’
Did you know that live maggots are used to treat some wounds? Yes, the worm-like bugs, which are the larvae of flies, are part of a real medical treatment.
Many are only just finding out about the technique, known as maggot therapy, after a junior doctor explained it on TikTok – and it’s leaving everyone traumatized.
What is Maggot Therapy?
Maggot therapy uses maggots from the green bottle fly, which are put onto a wound to remove the infected tissue, the NHS explains. The live bugs are able to clean the wounds far more quickly than conventional dressings.
The larvae feed on the dead tissue in the wound and release chemicals that break it down into a liquid that they can remove and digest. They also get rid of the bacteria by taking it into their gut and destroying it.
They are only a few millimetres in length, smaller than a grain of rice, but get bigger and bigger as they feed on the dead flesh, usually over a period of a few days. The maggots can increase to a maximum of 12mm.
In 2003, the United States�Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared green bottle maggots for use as a “medical device” to treat: non-healing necrotic skin and soft tissue wounds, pressure ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, neuropathic foot ulcers and non-healing traumatic or post-surgical wounds.
Two types of Maggot Therapy
Often, the maggots are applied in a BioBag dressing which is a bit like a tea bag. The larvae stay sealed inside the pouch which is placed directly on the wound and feed on the dead tissue through the thin dressing.
However, there is another method called ‘free range’ maggots which is where the bugs are poured directly into the wound. A dressing is then placed over the top to secure them inside for the duration of the treatment.
BioBag dressings can be left in place for up to four days, while ‘free range’ maggots are generally left for up to three days. Some wounds may require multiple treatments to remove all of the infected flesh.
In both types, a person can carry out their normal daily activities while undergoing treatment. It’s not usually something that is completed in a hospital, the maggots are applied to the wound and you are then free to return home.
It’s making people’s ‘stomach turn’
A junior doctor who goes by Dr Mim explained the entire process on TikTok this week, and people can’t believe it’s actually real.
One person said they are completely “traumatized” in the comments, while another said they would “have to be sedated” to have maggot therapy.
“I dont have a weak stomach but this is making me lose the feeling in my legs & making my stomach turn. Yuck!” someone else added.
Another commented: “Adding to my living will that I absolutely do not consent to this.”
Did you know maggot therapy was a thing?
