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The wound healing and antimicrobial properties of maggots are well known. Maggot debridement therapy has been used for the treatment of various conditions. For maggot debridement therapy, the larvae of the blowfly are applied over necrotic or nonhealing wounds. We used maggot debridement therapy with the larvae of Phaenicia sericata for limb salvage after bilateral lower extremity fourth-degree burns.

Smoke alarm giveaway programs can be successful, as demonstrated by the experience of the extensive 1982 Baltimore Fire Department project. In the absence of municipal government commitment for such an intensive campaign, a community program that involves many sectors can also be successful. It may, in fact, reach elements of the high-risk population who do not traditionally participate in smoke detector programs, such as renters. A decrease in "extra-alarm" fires and fire deaths can be achieved with multifaceted programs. In Dade County, with a growing population of approximately 1.7 million people that includes large migrant and illegal alien populations, fire-related deaths decreased from 26 in 1985 and 27 in 1986 to 17 in 1987. In the city of Miami, the county's inner core, fire-related deaths decreased by half from 1985 to 1987, in spite of an increase in high-risk population groups and substandard housing. Thus through extensive networking, the integrated efforts of a cross-section of the community can result in a successful safety campaign that has little overhead or political constraints. Designed as multifaceted, ongoing community-based programs, such efforts can, over time and through "persistent learning," lead to desired changes in behavior.

A brief, one-hour program aimed at grade school children combines human moderators, a robot, and cartoons to deliver the burn prevention message. Program efficacy was demonstrated by a pretest and posttest. Performance on the posttest improved with the age of the child.

With the national nursing shortage most acute in the critical care area, greater emphasis on effective recruitment and nurse retention is vital. Despite the high-stress environment of a busy burn center, nursing turnover can be reduced to acceptable levels. The greatest "satisfiers" are centered around nursing issues such as schedule flexibility, nurse/patient ratio, and the center's reputation and standards. Salary and the physical plant environment were of little importance in comparison.