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Ed Yeates ReportingLast Thursday, we told you how the Salt Lake Wound Care Center had treated a patient's deep wound with maggots!
They were placed inside the wound for 48 hours and then removed on Saturday.
The 72 year old Utah rancher, who prefers not to be identified, has a deep wound from cancer and radiation treatment. When we were there last Thursday, we saw a nasty wound with a lot of dead tissue and scarring.
**Again, a caution. Some of this video may be uncomfortable for some viewers.**
When the contamination free maggots arrived from a special lab at the University of California at Irvine they were small and ready to be placed inside the wound. They went inside, covered with a special, breathable dressing.
Now comes Saturday. The wound is opened and out they come, almost a half inch in size.
The patient will now get follow up treatment in this hyperbaric chamber. The chamber triggers what is called "angiogenesis." That stimulates blood vessel growth which heals the wound even more.
As we reported last Thursday, though maggot therapy has been used for centuries, especially for soldiers in battle, the FDA only last year granted approval for widespread medical application.
