American Society of Hirudotherapy

The American Society of Hirudotherapy advances evidence-based, protocolized use of FDA-cleared medicinal leech therapy and supports research that closes the regulatory-practice gap in the United States.

NonprofitEvidence-basedFDA-cleared device use (specific indications)

Clinical Evidence Safety Protocols About the Society

Clinical Resources

Evidence-based guidance for practitioners, researchers, and institutions

Clinical Evidence

7 Conditions

Systematic review of evidence across 7 conditions: osteoarthritis, venous insufficiency, hypertension, dermatological applications, pain syndromes, post-thrombotic syndrome, and wound healing.

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Safety Protocols

Essential

Patient selection criteria, infection control (Aeromonas prophylaxis), bleeding management algorithms, adverse event protocols, and institutional implementation guides.

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What Is Hirudotherapy

Fundamentals

Mechanism of action, bioactive compounds (hirudin, hyaluronidase, calin), physiological effects, and historical context of medicinal leech therapy.

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Clinical Applications

Tiered

Tier-organized applications from FDA-cleared indications to investigational uses, with evidence quality ratings and clinical considerations.

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Clinical Science

Hospital-centered guidance for venous congestion management, outcomes reporting, and risk mitigation.

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Research & Regulation

Neutral summaries of FDA classification, evolving oversight, and evidence priorities.

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Infrastructure & Access

Building U.S. capacity for traceable, medical-grade supply to support care and research.

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What we do

Clinical guidance (scope-limited)

Hospital-centered governance-level guidance for venous congestion workflows, outcomes reporting, and risk framing.

Education (CME-ready roadmap placeholder)

A structured, CME-ready roadmap is planned. Educational materials will be published as they become available.

Research agenda (registries / RCT priorities)

Neutral priorities for prospective registries, standard endpoints, and trial concepts where clinical equipoise exists.

Infrastructure project (domestic supply, traceability)

A public-benefit facility concept focused on biosecurity, chain-of-custody documentation, and resilience.

FDA-cleared indications are limited; investigational/off-label uses are clearly labeled.

Positioning

We focus on clinical rigor, safety, and transparent reporting—serving clinicians, researchers, regulators, and grant reviewers. FDA-cleared indications are narrow; investigational and off-label contexts are labeled explicitly.

Clinicians

Governance-level framing and risk-forward summaries aligned with hospital protocols.

Researchers

Evidence discipline, endpoints, and protocol-ready collaboration concepts.

Regulators & reviewers

Device-centered language and clear separation of cleared vs investigational contexts.