IIRC the maggots need to directly eat the dead tissue, so they are basically directly on the wound. The maggots themselves are covered with a dressing so you ca

IIRC the maggots need to directly eat the dead tissue, so they are basically directly on the wound. The maggots themselves are covered with a dressing so you can't see them, but my understanding is they can be somewhat felt. On the "bright side", a lot of the times maggot dressings are used for chronically unhealing diabetic foot ulcers, and those wounds often have little sensation due to diabetic neuropathy and other issues that prevent the affected individual from being able to feel much in their extremities. EDIT: Hmm, it seems like from the article that they have access to the dead tissue but through a porous type material, and apparently consume the dead tissue by liquefying it with enzymes first and then "drinking it", so not quite as direct as I remembered I guess. > ...greenbottle fly larvae are grown in the lab, disinfected, and put into finely woven net pouches about the size of a teabag that are then placed on patients’ wounds for four days. The maggots work their magic through the material and the bags are removed before they turn into flies. > As larvae feed on dead tissue in a wound, they release chemicals that break down dead tissue into a liquid that they drink, according to Chelsea and Westminster hospital, which offers larval therapy. They also take up bacteria, which are destroyed within their gut, but do not eat healthy tissue. When applied to the wound the larvae are the size of an uncooked grain of rice, and grow to around 10-12mm during treatment. They cannot bite, since they do not have teeth, and they cannot multiply. --- Ah, I see I was thinking they are directly on the wound bed because of this video I was remembering, but the video actually shows naturally appearing maggots (aka not intentionally placed there): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxzciEVJGwY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxzciEVJGwY (not for faint of heart)