Late 2019 we filmed footage for two maggot therapy treatment videos that explain in detail how the therapy is applied in both the modern high-resource and the compromised healthcare setting. These differ significantly – particularly regarding access to dressing materials. This was taken into account when developing the treatment guidance.

The gallery to the left provides a few impressions from the film shoot. The resulting videos have now been released and posted on this website, after they were peer reviewed for best practice and accuracy.

We sculpted fasciotomy maulage and applied this wound to our model’s lower leg. Artificial slough, blood and necrotic tissue was applied for a more realistic appearance of a non-healing infected fasciotomy wound common in conflict and disaster settings.

We filmed footage of the application and removal of maggot therapy dressings but also the steps performed at the dressing table to prepare materials for dressing application.

Simulation of treatment required application of mock wound exudate. We found that coffee when applied to clean dressings resembles realistically the exudate stains on maggot therapy dressings.

Acknowledgements

We are extremely fortunate to work closely with Anna Sanders, a wound care nurse with practical experience in maggot therapy. Not only are we able to consult Anna on clinical and nursing aspects in relation to maggot therapy but she also contributed to the development of the film scripts and performed the demonstration treatments for us.

Thanks to Maureen Connell (Technical Services, Griffith University Health) for her time and effort to create and revise the wound and for fitting the wound on the day of filming.

A big thanks also to the Griffith University Clinical Skills team, Kelvin Upton, Cheree Palmisano, Heidi Marcelo, and Ciranoush Aird for their support and for making the film team welcome. Filming was conducted by Ken Kimura and Zac Esam from Temenos. Zac Esam also documented the shoot (see the behind the scenes images to the left). Still images of dressing materials used in the videos were taken by Emma Leslie from Pixel and Halide. Our model for the day was Philippe Deseck.

Watch the high-resource maggot therapy video

Watch the low-resource maggot therapy video

In 2021 as the MedMagLabs Hope In Conflict project drew to a close, we set out to produce a project video to promote the use of maggot therapy in conflict humanitarian aid and to present our innovations and achievements.

We have shot the footage in our laboratory at Griffith University and the C-Lab. The video footage is complemented by animated photo library still images and animations from our creatives team.

The video first describes the problem chronic wounds pose in compromised healthcare settings and the medical supply chain challenges faced in these places. We then propose maggot therapy as the solution to the wound care problem and introduce the work we have been doing to overcome maggot therapy supply chain challenges and the introduction of maggot therapy in compromised healthcare settings such as conflict and disaster.

Acknowledgements

This video would not have been possible without the expert guidance from Dr Dean Chircop, the production team from 226 Media Productions, our Animator Timothy Bahrij, our stills photographer Anthony Hamilton (see behind the scenes images to the left), and our fabulous talent Tsitsi Mafuta. Some footage has been provided courtesy Royal Wolf who have produced a video about the development and construction of the C-Lab. The video is narrated by Kate Wilson. Stills photographers have been acknowledged in the video credits along with our supporters, Hope In Conflcit: A Humanitarian Grand Challenge and its funders.

(CC BY 4.0) Creating Hope in Conflict: A Humanitarian Grand Challenge content is provided under creative commons license CC BY 4.0. This applies specifically to the images and content on this page. For project video copyright details please go to the video credits. Please acknowledge the photographers Zac Esam for images relating to the treatment video production and Anthony Hamilton for behind the scenes images during project video production – both MedMagLabs. The copyright for content on other pages of this site will vary.