Leeching was once quackery of the worst sort. But the leech has been quietly making a comeback in the field of reconstructive microsurgery. Here's what to know about the return of the leech:
century, leeching came to be seen in most countries as quackery of the worst sort. But over the last few decades, the leech has been quietly making a comeback. This time in the more modern field of reconstructive microsurgery, where surgeons reattach arteries to save severed tissue, such as a piece of the scalp or a finger.
“The leech is a one-stop shop,” says Adnan Prsic, MD, an assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Yale Medical School. “They do the job of removing blood, but also secrete compounds that act as anticoagulants, platelet inhibitors, and vasodilators, all meant to make the blood thinner and more conductive.”
The use of leeches is still narrow enough that most medical professionals are surprised to find them still in use. Surgeon Patrick Reavey, MD, an assistant professor of plastic surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center, says his first encounter with leeches was during his residency, when his supervisor ordered him to get leeches from the pharmacy. “We were doing a finger reattachment,” he says.
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