Medical Leeches
Once again, it seems, the medical profession must take a
bow to the ancient practitioners. Since ancient Egyptians
2500 years ago until about 150 years ago, the preferred
means of reducing infections in wounds has been the leech.
Now, this creature is making a comeback as a medical tool.
Not any leech will do. Only one of the world's 650 species
qualifies: The Hirudo Medicinalis, a specialist averaging
about 3 inches long and sporting 300 tiny teeth in the
shape of a Mercedes hood ornament.
Rudy Rosenberg, co-owner of Leeches U.S.A. Ltd., is the
primary provider of medical leeches in this country. He
imports these leeches from Europe and ships about 20,000
Hirudos worldwide each year. They are usually sold in
packs of 20 leeches at just $6.90 apiece, "which I think
is reasonable," says Rosenberg.
There's even a "leech bank" at Kennedy International
Airport, for same-day emergency service. "The nice thing
is they can supply them on short notice," said Dr. Jerry
A. Rubin, a Florida plastic surgeon who has used leeches
in about 10 surgeries over the past five years. "They can
ship them within eight hours."
For many doctors, including Rubin, the leech has become
part of the surgical routine: "To me, it's no different
than antibiotics or pain medication," the board-certified
doctor said. The success rate for the leeches in Rubin's
cases runs about 50 percent, which he says is much better
than the option: "Zero percent."
The results of using leeches are nothing short of amazing.
"I don't like to use the word miracle," Rosenberg says,
"but it is unbelievable what these leeches do." They aid
the healing process by feeding on the blood of the patient.
A typical scenario: A microsurgeon reattaches a severed
finger, but there are complications. The leech digs its
teeth into the flesh on either side of the incision, using
its powerful suckers to stay attached. The blood flows
through the leech, from the body to the reattached part.
An anticoagulant in the leech keeps the blood flowing
smoothly and prevents scabbing. An anesthetic released
by the leech makes it painless.
Rosenberg's leeches aren't doing anything new. The red
stripe on barber poles once meant that the shop sold
leeches. But the leech soon got a bad rap that even
Rosenberg admits was hard to overcome. "It's a natural
revulsion," Rosenberg acknowledges. "But if you put a
leech on, having it or not having it can be the difference
whether you can play the violin again or not. That's a
very powerful argument."
Rosenberg recalls patients who had nicknames for their
leeches, although they are a minority: Watching a leech
get fat on your bodily fluids is not for the faint of
heart.
But circumstances make for strange (hospital) bedfellows.
Just ask Wayne Thomas of Union Park, Florida. Earlier
this year, the meat cutter lost a one-inch chunk of his
right index finger while slicing a frozen pig. Dr. Rubin
reattached the piece and dialed Leeches U.S.A. The finger
was saved.
"They're kind of slimy, and they're messy," Thomas said.
"After you get your finger mangled by a saw, a leech isn't
going to bother you. Trust me."
Rosenberg says there are three basic rules for using leeches:
1: NEVER REUSE A LEECH. "It won't feed again for another six
months. And the patient might have an infectious disease,
so you don't want to risk putting it on another patient."
2: NEVER RETURN A USED LEECH. A used leech is a dead leech.
Once they drop off a patient, their work complete, they are
dropped into a deadly alcohol bath.
3: DO NOT FEED THE LEECHES. A leech eats about once every
six months. Once sated, they are content to lounge about
for as long as three years.
Leeches U.S.A., however, keeps its stable lean and mean.
"Our leeches," Rosenberg says proudly, "are shipped in
water, live and hungry."
