Age-old medical practice makes a comeback with modern twist, dramatically improving wound care
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is the first in Fort Bend County to use an innovative biotherapy involving fly larvae to save a patient’s infected limb that otherwise would have been amputated.
Wound care specialist Nicholas Desai, D.P.M., used the BioBag®, a unique larval therapy, to clean dead tissue from a diabetic patient’s severely infected foot and quickly prepare him for a skin graft, saving him from a below-knee amputation. What would have been an 18- to 24-month ordeal — with multiple staged surgeries and significant future risks — was taken care of in a matter of days, allowing the patient to return to his daily routine quicker with full mobility.
“The BioBag actually relies on a very old practice that has been modernized in a unique way,” Desai said. “The use of larval therapy to debride, or clean, dead tissue from infected wounds dates back thousands of years. The BioBag brings it up to date by providing full containment of the fly larvae within a sealed, easy-to-apply dressing.”
BioBags contain larvae of the common green bottle fly, secured in a polyester pouch with a porous outer layer that allows direct access to the wound. When placed on top an infected lesion, the larvae secrete enzymes that liquefy dead tissue, which they then consume — effectively cleaning the wound within a day or two. Those enzymes also speed healing by providing antibacterial protection of the area.
“Larval therapy leaves all healthy tissue intact and allows us to perform a skin graft within a couple of days of treatment,” he said. “In severe cases of infection, larval therapy will actually save the patient’s limb because more conventional therapies would not work in time.”
The first patient to receive the larval therapy at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, and in Fort Bend, was treated on a Friday. By Tuesday of the following week, his infection was cleared and he was able to receive a skin graft to cover the top of his foot, preventing the need for amputation. Since then, Desai has used this larval therapy numerous times at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, with 100 percent success.
The larval therapy – introduced in the U.S. in 2015 – has the potential to make a significant positive impact on health care outcomes and costs. The dramatic rise in Type 2 diabetes among Americans has led to a rapid increase in diabetes-related foot ulcers and infections — which can be difficult for patients to detect, since they often lose feeling in their extremities, and treat because diabetes can slow the ability of skin cells to rejuvenate.
“Slow-healing wounds are an incredible burden on the American health care system,” Desai said. “In 2014, the U.S. spent an estimated $10-15 billion on ulcer and wound care, with diabetic foot ulcers accounting for the largest portion of those costs. Many of those cases eventually result in amputations, which lead to future costs and significant health risks.”
Desai believes the revival of this age-old healing process can revolutionize modern wound care.
“The benefits of the larval therapy are exponential,” he said. “It improves healing, reduces the risk of further infection, prevents the need for amputation and dramatically reduces the time and expense of care. It’s a unique approach to this very serious and growing problem.”
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nicholas Desai, call 281.240.3338. For more information about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or call 281.274.7500 for a physician referral. Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.
Wound care specialist Nicholas Desai, D.P.M., used the BioBag®, a unique larval therapy, to clean dead tissue from a diabetic patient’s severely infected foot and quickly prepare him for a skin graft, saving him from a below-knee amputation. What would have been an 18- to 24-month ordeal — with multiple staged surgeries and significant future risks — was taken care of in a matter of days, allowing the patient to return to his daily routine quicker with full mobility.
“The BioBag actually relies on a very old practice that has been modernized in a unique way,” Desai said. “The use of larval therapy to debride, or clean, dead tissue from infected wounds dates back thousands of years. The BioBag brings it up to date by providing full containment of the fly larvae within a sealed, easy-to-apply dressing.”
BioBags contain larvae of the common green bottle fly, secured in a polyester pouch with a porous outer layer that allows direct access to the wound. When placed on top an infected lesion, the larvae secrete enzymes that liquefy dead tissue, which they then consume — effectively cleaning the wound within a day or two. Those enzymes also speed healing by providing antibacterial protection of the area.
“Larval therapy leaves all healthy tissue intact and allows us to perform a skin graft within a couple of days of treatment,” he said. “In severe cases of infection, larval therapy will actually save the patient’s limb because more conventional therapies would not work in time.”
The first patient to receive the larval therapy at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, and in Fort Bend, was treated on a Friday. By Tuesday of the following week, his infection was cleared and he was able to receive a skin graft to cover the top of his foot, preventing the need for amputation. Since then, Desai has used this larval therapy numerous times at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, with 100 percent success.
The larval therapy – introduced in the U.S. in 2015 – has the potential to make a significant positive impact on health care outcomes and costs. The dramatic rise in Type 2 diabetes among Americans has led to a rapid increase in diabetes-related foot ulcers and infections — which can be difficult for patients to detect, since they often lose feeling in their extremities, and treat because diabetes can slow the ability of skin cells to rejuvenate.
“Slow-healing wounds are an incredible burden on the American health care system,” Desai said. “In 2014, the U.S. spent an estimated $10-15 billion on ulcer and wound care, with diabetic foot ulcers accounting for the largest portion of those costs. Many of those cases eventually result in amputations, which lead to future costs and significant health risks.”
Desai believes the revival of this age-old healing process can revolutionize modern wound care.
“The benefits of the larval therapy are exponential,” he said. “It improves healing, reduces the risk of further infection, prevents the need for amputation and dramatically reduces the time and expense of care. It’s a unique approach to this very serious and growing problem.”
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nicholas Desai, call 281.240.3338. For more information about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or call 281.274.7500 for a physician referral. Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.