בשל "הגנת זכויות יוצרים" מובא להלן קישור לתקציר המאמר. לקריאתו בטקסט מלא, אנא פנה/י לספרייה הרפואית הזמינה לך.

Successful use of the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis in the salvage of microvascular free flaps has been widely described.

The potent anticoagulant hirudin injected by the leech reduces venous engorgement nonsurgically

by improving blood drainage from the flap. Potential risks include local infection (mainly by Aeromonas hydrophila), sepsis, blood loss, and leech migration.

A method described by Granzow et al employs limiting the movement of medicinal leeches from the surgical site by affixing one end of a surgical suture to the leech and tying the free end to a firm object or dressing.

The following case description reports a modification of this technique by suturing a leech to the skin close to an engorged composite graft at the nasal columella.