Maggots as a wound debridement agent for chronic venous leg ulcers under graduated compression bandages: A randomised controlled trial

ObjectivesSlough in chronic venous leg ulcers may be associated with delayed healing. The purpose of this study was to assess larval debridement in chronic venous leg ulcers and to assess subsequent effect on healing.MethodsAll patients with chronic leg ulcers presenting to the leg ulcer service were evaluated for the study. Exclusion criteria were: ankle brachial pressure indices 1.25, no venous reflux on duplex and <20% of ulcer surface covered with slough. Participants were randomly allocated to either 4-layer compression bandaging alone or 4-layer compression bandaging + larvae. Surface areas of ulcer and slough were assessed on day 4; 4-layer compression bandaging was then continued and ulcer size was measured every 2 weeks for up to 12 weeks.ResultsA total of 601 patients with chronic leg ulcers were screened between November 2008 and July 2012. Of these, 20 were randomised to 4-layer compression bandaging and 20 to 4-layer compression bandaging + larvae. Median (range) ulcer size was 10.8...