1. METHODS Efficacy was measured by comparing MDT to traditional treatment (i.e., antibiotics and surgical debridement). Levels of evidence included case- control, cohort retrospective, retrospective, prospective control, non-randomized in-vivo, and report studies. The criteria used in selecting studies for this paper were as follows: evidence based controlled trials, maggot therapy, and non-healing wounds. Using these criteria, 13 studies were selected for this paper. CONCLUSIONS. These studies strongly suggest that MDT is an effective and successful method of wound healing. Maggot therapy has not only been shown to remove necrotic tissue, it has also been proven to work on disinfecting wounds unresponsive to antibiotics and surgery. In the past, maggot debridement therapy was used as a last resort method of wound healing. These studies indicate that maggot therapy could be considered as a first line treatment for non-healing, chronic wounds. Maggot Debridement Therapy in Treatment of Nonhealing Chronic Wounds *Dodie Martin PA-S, **Kenneth H. Pitetti, Ph.D. *Department of Physician Assistant, **Department of Physical Therapy College of Health Professions, Wichita State University INTRODUCTION Removing necrotic (dead) tissue while keeping healthy tissue intact is a major problem for doctors trying to save extremities with open wounds. This study will focus on maggot debridement therapy, (MDT), as an alternative to conventional methods of surgery and antibiotics. For centuries, maggots have been known to have the ability to promote wound healing much like antibiotics. With the invention of penicillin and other antibiotics, maggot therapy was replaced and its practice became obsolete. However, in the past 30 years, due to the overuse of antibiotics, large arrays of pathogens resistant to many common antibiotics have developed. Due to this resistance, maggot therapy is once again becoming a viable, first line option for physicians in treating non-healing wounds, especially wounds that typically do not respond to antibiotics or surgery. RESULTS All thirteen articles saw MDT help with wound debridement. MDT is effective in wounds that are unresponsive to conventional methods. MDT can help save limbs that were previously referred for amputation. Postoperative wound infections can be decreased more efficiently using MDT. MDT decreased wound size faster and more effectively than conventional methods. DISCUSSION Based on the research in this study, MDT is an effective method for treating nonhealing chronic wounds. Studies done by Sherman and other researchers and physicians show MDT as not only another option in wound treatment, but an extremely effective option on nonhealing wounds. Maggots can debride wounds that are unresponsive to antibiotics and disinfect tissue that can be hard for a surgeon to differentiate between healthy and necrotic tissue. There is overwhelming evidence of the usefulness of maggots in wound healing. More studies need to be done on MDT versus conventional methods using control groups to help find exactly how and in what capacity MDT should be used on wounds. (Figure 1) Weeks to debride wounds Number of days needed to achieve 50% reduction in necrotic tissue (Figure 2) Days needed to debride