Management of Upper Airway Leech Infestations
Research article published in Ear nose & throat journal (2019)
Abstract
PURPOSE: Upper airway foreign body is one of the most encountered clinical situations in otolaryngology practice. In rare conditions, a living organism may be a foreign body in the upper airway. In this study, we demonstrate 19 patients with leech infestations in nose, nasopharynx, and larynx. METHODS: This study was enrolled with 19 patients between 2012 and 2016 in a regional state hospital. All of the patients were admitted to clinic with these complaints: epistaxis, hemoptysis, coughing, foreign body sensation, and bloody stool. RESULTS: There were 12 male and 7 female patients. The leech was in the nose in 12 patients, in nasopharynx in 6 patients, and in the larynx in only 1 patient. All leeches are removed under local anesthesia (except laryngeal presentation). No bleeding and complication were seen after extraction of leech. CONCLUSION: Leech can be easily diagnosed and managed in the upper aero-digestive tract without any complication and leech-associated disease.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Management of Upper Airway Leech Infestations.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This study reports 19 patients (12 male, 7 female) treated between 2012 and 2016 for leech infestations in the nose (12), nasopharynx (6), or larynx (1), presenting with epistaxis, hemoptysis, cough, foreign body sensation, or bloody stool. All leeches were removed under local anesthesia (except the laryngeal case), with no post-extraction bleeding or complications. For ASH's domain, this article relates to leeches as accidental parasitic foreign bodies rather than therapeutic hirudotherapy; it documents clinical presentation and safe removal technique. CAVEAT: This concerns unintentional leech infestation, not medicinal leech application or the leech secretome, so its relevance to therapeutic hirudotherapy is limited to safety and clinical management context.
Citation
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