Saturated Aqueous Sodium Chloride Solution for the Removal of Leeches

Litch, James A.; Bishop, Rachel A.

doi:10.1177/004947550003000216

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…If the leech is in the nares or upper pharynx, it can be paralyzed with cocaine and extracted directly. A hypertonic sodium chloride solution or lidocaine can also be administered; the former causes the leach to release its hold, and the latter paralyses it [9,19]. The leech can then be removed easily.…”

Section: Review Of the Literature And Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leech endoparasitism: report of a case and review of the literature

Montazeri¹,

Bedayat²,

Jamali³

et al. 2008

Eur J Pediatr

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We report the case of an 11-year-old boy who presented with fresh blood in his mouth and a history of sore throat during the past 2 weeks that was unresponsive to antibiotic therapy. Inspection of the oral cavity revealed a black circular mass attached to the posterior wall of the oropharynx. This mass was determined to be a live engorged leech. Leech endoparasitism is caused by aquatic leeches that attach themselves to mucus membranes of body cavities after the host has swum in bodies of fresh water or drunk from unsafe water sources. Pharyngeal hirudiniasis may present in different forms depending on the exact location of the parasite in the body and must be included in the list of differential diagnosis for common conditions such as pharyngitis, hemoptysis or anemia in pediatric patients living in endemic areas.

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Section: Review Of the Literature And Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leech endoparasitism: report of a case and review of the literature

Montazeri¹,

Bedayat²,

Jamali³

et al. 2008

Eur J Pediatr

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“…Leeches can cause other severe problems, especially in the lower airways, where they can cause life-threatening acute bleeding and/or obstruction [14,17,28], and must be removed immediately by bronchoscopy. If the leech is attached too tightly to the mucosa and resists mechanical removal, then hypertonic sodium chloride solution (more suitable in older children) or cocaine/lidocaine can be administered which releases the hold of the leech or paralyses it, respectively [19,28]. Afterwards, it can be removed easily.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aquatic leech infestation: a rare cause of severe anaemia in an adolescent Tanzanian girl

Krüger

Malleyeck

Olsen

2004

European Journal of Pediatrics

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“…The amount and duration of bleeding vary according to the area bitten, with bleeding from the vagina, rectum, urinary bladder and pharynx having been reported 12,15 . Faust et al 16 reported that prolonged hemorrhage might result in anemia and death. The mean duration of bleeding from a leech bite wound was reported as 10 hrs in one study (range 6.5-23).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%