Leeches help reconstruct face of dog attack victim-Doctors in Sweden have enlisted the help of 358 leeches to reattach part of a woman's face that was bitten off in an attack by her own dog, local media reports.
The operation was conducted on the woman's upper lip, nose and cheek, with the leeches then employed to get the blood re-flowing to the severed body parts.
The woman's nose was successfully reattached and she can eat, breathe and talk after the 15-hour procedure to reattach her skin, Sweden's English news website The Local reported.
“The most important thing was to get blood into the torn off body part, which we managed to do within an hour of the start of the operation,” Dr Klasson said.
“The grower who supplies the hospital with leeches ran out. More leeches had to be flown in from the UK.”
The surgery was considered to be successful, but the woman will likely undergo more reconstructive procedures in the future.
The hospital said the operation was the first of its kind in the Nordic region.
Leeches were used in ancient medical practices, and scientific research eventually showed the creatures can help to improve circulation and fight blood clots due to anticoagulant properties in their saliva.
Medical Entomologist Cameron Webb from the University of Sydney said leeches were commonly used in Australian hospitals to aid in the recovery process.
"Leeches are used in Australia for therapy in the same sort of circumstances," Dr Webb said.
"Although most commonly I understand it to be fingers and toes, but there's no reason it wouldn't work for someone's face as well."
Dr Webb said there needed to be good circulation for the body to be able to heal itself after a body part was reattached.
"That can be very difficult for the body to do it by itself, so by using the leeches it's almost like you accelerate the flow of blood to the extremities.
"That's the most common use for them in Australia."
Leeches were provided by specialist breeders, Dr Webb said.
The operation was conducted on the woman's upper lip, nose and cheek, with the leeches then employed to get the blood re-flowing to the severed body parts.
The woman's nose was successfully reattached and she can eat, breathe and talk after the 15-hour procedure to reattach her skin, Sweden's English news website The Local reported.
After the attack in August, the woman's relatives kept the loose chunk of skin chilled while she was rushed to Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, in southern Sweden, and specialist Stina Klasson was called in.
During the operation, doctors attached the leeches to her face to help boost blood circulation.“The most important thing was to get blood into the torn off body part, which we managed to do within an hour of the start of the operation,” Dr Klasson said.
“The grower who supplies the hospital with leeches ran out. More leeches had to be flown in from the UK.”
The surgery was considered to be successful, but the woman will likely undergo more reconstructive procedures in the future.
The hospital said the operation was the first of its kind in the Nordic region.
Leeches were used in ancient medical practices, and scientific research eventually showed the creatures can help to improve circulation and fight blood clots due to anticoagulant properties in their saliva.
Medical Entomologist Cameron Webb from the University of Sydney said leeches were commonly used in Australian hospitals to aid in the recovery process.
"Leeches are used in Australia for therapy in the same sort of circumstances," Dr Webb said.
"Although most commonly I understand it to be fingers and toes, but there's no reason it wouldn't work for someone's face as well."
Dr Webb said there needed to be good circulation for the body to be able to heal itself after a body part was reattached.
"That can be very difficult for the body to do it by itself, so by using the leeches it's almost like you accelerate the flow of blood to the extremities.
"That's the most common use for them in Australia."
Leeches were provided by specialist breeders, Dr Webb said.
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