maggots?

redtshirt · Sep 17, 2008

I fortunately have not been witness to the maggot thing but have heard my share of horror stories... Ugghhh.
What I have seen that was really interesting (and disturbing at the same time) was medical leeches. The patient had severed 3 of his fingers and they were using leeches to help revascularize the digits. Apparently they excrete something in their saliva that helps improve blood flow to the re-attached part.
Luckily the docs and wound care team took charge of the whole thing and there was really nothing for me to do but monitor the site. Not sure I could have handled pulling them off etc.

I saw leeches used on two patients. One had amputated four digits and had three surgically put back on. One digits vascular supply wasn't great and blood was pooling in the tip. A leech was used to relieve pain because leeches have a natural painkiller and they also contain blood thinning agents so they can feed better. When full they fall off and have to be disposed of in alcohol (not exactly pleasant). To get them to latch on dextrose can be used and to get them off saline is used. The other patient was a burns patient who had a graph redone and it wasn't taking at one edge. Neither patient minded the leeches once their benefits were explained.

mommalumps · Oct 1, 2008

I've never worked ER, but did have a pt with maggots in hospice.
Pt was a lady in her 40s- well dressed and appeared clean. She had a fungating CA of the breast. She kept it covered all the time at home, and never looked at it, even when bathing.
Well, we convinced her to let us take the dressing off- and there were maggots in her rotting breast.
No doc on the unit. We just remained calm, and poured hydrogen peroxide over the area w/ the pt leaning over the bathroom sink. It really foamed up and "sizzled." That got rid of the maggots.

:eek: SIZZLED????!!! Ohhhhh, Wooooowwww:eek:

The more I think about it, we ARE doing G*D's work...... Nurses Rock!!!

MadzDAD · Oct 4, 2008

Had a homeless guy come in from E.R. to the floor. His story was that he was hit and dragged by a car for a few yards, but finally sought tx after a couple weeks...Nasty road rash over his belly, 2nd and 3rd degree wounds at different stages of healing. No evidence of maggots, but once I started to clean wound with some NS I thought I saw some bubbling, I paused, rechecked the bottle thinking that I might have used hydrogen peroxide by mistake...nope it was NS... I elevated the bed more, flipped on more lights, got closer, swiped over a patch of loose scab....to unveil clusters of writhing maggots...some big and fat others looked liked they just hatched. Ughh!

mommalumps · Oct 4, 2008

Had a homeless guy come in from E.R. to the floor. His story was that he was hit and dragged by a car for a few yards, but finally sought tx after a couple weeks...Nasty road rash over his belly, 2nd and 3rd degree wounds at different stages of healing. No evidence of maggots, but once I started to clean wound with some NS I thought I saw some bubbling, I paused, rechecked the bottle thinking that I might have used hydrogen peroxide by mistake...nope it was NS... I elevated the bed more, flipped on more lights, got closer, swiped over a patch of loose scab....to unveil clusters of writhing maggots...some big and fat others looked liked they just hatched. Ughh!

:eek:OhhKay..Bubbles, huh?..I want to work in the ER....must remember.. :eek: :yeah:"Maggots are our friends.":yeah:

moeluvrn · Oct 5, 2008

I will never look at rice the same again.. lol...give me blood and guts any day, but keep the bugs away!! :)

aaronrnmedic · Oct 12, 2008

I picked up a lady who had been lying down on her kitchen floor for a day or so (as a medic) who had a nice little lump on her forehead. We then noticed that that lump seemed to move. You could see through the thin layer of skin tiny maggots moving around. How disgusting. I don't think that is as bad as the maggots in the trach though.

bigsyis · Oct 12, 2008

Well, all, I posted much earlier about this topic. My opinion is that if you are in ER long enough, you will see most anything. I was irrigating an "impacted" ear in a 20 something young woman. She c/o itching in her ear. First came wads of cerumen, then two pieces of blue tissue (she said she used it to scratch her ear) more cerumen, and finally, a ROACH about an inch long came floating out of her ear. That irrigation took about 30 minutes. I was never a fan of such labor intensive stuff, but when that roach came floating out I nearly gagged. No wonder she felt itching in her ear!

klcrn1987 · Oct 13, 2008

OK..how many went "EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW" on that one :eek:

SarahLovesNovember, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2008

Wow. This stuff is crazy! I've got the shivers!

RedSox33RN · Oct 14, 2008

I can look at most things, but the two things that heeb me out are snakes and maggots. I know some maggots can be beneficial, but after seeing a horrible sight of them burrowing under the skin, making it move, of my favorite chicken (who had died a day earlier, unbeknownst to us), I can never look at those suckers the same way again! I had nightmares about that for weeks - poor Henrietta.

shrimpchips, LPN · Feb 4, 2009

the smell is forgettable and to be honest-- if they arent moving, they kinda dont look like bugs.. maybe little orzo pastas or something...

I am never eating orzo pasta ever again :barf02:

caregiver_deborah · Oct 18, 2010

I put the word "maggots" in the search not expecting to see anything, and boy, I got an eye full. It didn't gross me out as much as I thought it would. Guess my stomach for this stuff is stronger than I thought. I wouldn't get sick over the visuals, it's the smell of things that would be high on the ralph meter.