Throughout history, it has been observed that wounds tended to heal more quickly with fewer complications when larvae found their way onto open wounds. Larval therapy (LT) is used for the debridement of chronic wounds and to create a wound bed conductive to effective healing. The aim of this article is to discuss the effectiveness of larval therapy for the debridement of chronic wounds through a critical analysis of the relevant literature.

Laura Wood, BA (Nursing). Previously Staff Nurse, AMU, Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham

Mark Hughes RGN, DN, HV, BSc (Hons), MSc, PGCE, Lecturer, University of Birmingham

Article accepted for publication: December 2012