Leeching

The application of LEECHES to the body to draw blood for therapeutic purposes. Such medicinal leeching, an ancient medical practice, is still being used in microsurgery and the treatment of venous congestion or occlusion.

Also Known As:

Networked: 184 relevant articles (17 outcomes, 17 trials/studies)

Relationship Network

Therapy Context: Research Results

Experts

1.	Michalsen, Andreas: 6 articles (11/2018 - 09/2002)
2.	Whitaker, Iain S: 4 articles (01/2018 - 01/2009)
3.	Dobos, Gustav J: 4 articles (06/2011 - 09/2002)
4.	Lamy, Brigitte: 3 articles (01/2022 - 01/2018)
5.	Graf, Joerg: 3 articles (01/2018 - 01/2009)
6.	Langhorst, Jost: 3 articles (01/2014 - 09/2002)
7.	Azzopardi, Ernest A: 3 articles (03/2012 - 01/2009)
8.	Kon, Moshe: 3 articles (03/2012 - 01/2009)
9.	Lüdtke, Rainer: 3 articles (06/2011 - 11/2003)
10.	Karadag, Ayse Serap: 2 articles (03/2021 - 09/2011)

Related Diseases

1.	Pain (Aches) 12/01/2022 - "Pain relief from leech therapy is rapid, effective, and long-lasting in many conditions. " 06/01/2018 - "Medical leech therapy was associated with a significantly improved outcome in pain relief and functional recovery in patients with symptomatic knee OA. " 03/01/2014 - "Pain relief from leech therapy is rapid, effective and long-lasting in many conditions. " 06/01/2011 - "A single course of leech therapy was effective in relieving pain in the short-term and improved disability in intermediate-term. " 07/15/2008 - "A single course of leech therapy is effective in relieving pain, improving disability and QoL for at least 2 months. "
2.	Knee Osteoarthritis 06/01/2011 - "Leech therapy has been found to be effective in osteoarthritis of the knee and hand in previous trials. " 11/01/2017 - "Leech therapy relieves symptoms in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and is as effective as TENS therapy in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee. " 07/15/2008 - "Leech therapy has been shown to be effective for symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. " 06/01/2018 - "The efficacy and safety of medical leech therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials." 11/01/2017 - "The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of leech therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in terms of duration of effectiveness and symptom relief and to compare these results with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy. "
3.	Hyperemia 10/01/2013 - "This method of mechanical leeching was precisely controlled through monitoring trends in the tissue oxygen saturation levels of the flap, allowing venous congestion to be relieved before it became clinically apparent." 01/01/1989 - "We report a case of an ear replantation in which venous congestion was consistently improved with leeching. " 05/01/2014 - "Some studies recommended leech therapy for this kind of injury after vascular repair to decrease venous congestion. " 03/01/2012 - "Although there are numerous case reports and small case series describing the experiences of leech therapy in various circumstances, there are relatively few large studies evaluating the effectiveness of leeching to relieve venous congestion. " 05/01/1999 - "This study compares the effectiveness of alleviating venous congestion with mechanically-made outlets or leech therapy in promoting skin flap survival. "
4.	Infections 01/01/2018 - "This study describes the relationship of resistant bacteria from the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, with patient infections following leech therapy. " 01/01/2022 - "In human health, infections following leech therapy is an outstanding example of such One Health challenges. " 01/01/2022 - "This article presents a patient case of reconstructive surgery complicated by infection associated with the use of medicinal leeches, as well as a discussion of prophylaxis in medicinal leech therapy, focusing on considerations for choosing a prophylactic agent. " 01/01/2022 - "To describe challenges in the management of prophylaxis against infections for patients receiving medicinal leech therapy given changes in antimicrobial resistance patterns in the normal flora of leeches. " 01/01/2022 - "Many institutions and healthcare teams have been reluctant to use intraoral leech therapy due to risks such as migration into the airway, increased infection from intraoral manipulation, and patient discomfort. "
5.	Wounds and Injuries (Trauma) 12/31/2022 - "In our study, medicinal leech therapy had a higher success rate in healing for the treatment of excisional wounds in animal models." 12/31/2022 - "This study aimed to evaluate and elucidate the wound healing activity of medicinal leech therapy in wound excision of the rat model. " 01/01/2021 - "Old-school medieval surgery was also performed with some bizarre techniques such as lip service by wound suckers, cautery, blood-letting, leech therapy, and maggot therapy. " 04/01/2020 - "After 1 month of treatment with leech therapy along with Ayurvedic medicines and 3 months of follow-up, the wound got healed. " 03/01/2020 - "Western, Persian and Indian medicine seem to apply different therapeutic approaches when using medicinal leech therapy for healing wounds. "

Related Drugs and Biologics

1.	Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
2.	Anticoagulants
3.	Endothelins (Endothelin)
4.	Interleukin-2 Receptors (IL 2 Receptor)
5.	Plastics
6.	Anti-Bacterial Agents (Antibiotics)
7.	Heparin (Liquaemin)
8.	Levofloxacin (Levaquin)
9.	Fluoroquinolones
10.	Trimethoprim (Proloprim)

Related Therapies and Procedures

1.	Therapeutics
2.	Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
3.	Replantation
4.	Debridement
5.	Pain Management