Leech, (subclass Hirudinea), any of about 650 species of segmented worms (phylum Annelida) characterized by a small sucker, which contains the mouth, at the anterior end of the body and a large sucker located at the posterior end. All leeches have 34 body segments. The length of the body ranges. Leeches sold here are living leech animals & leech pets and should be treated with great care. We are not an emergency medical leech supplier, if you have any deadlines whatsoever, please locate the appropriate medical leech shipper near you. Leech.com does not supply any drugs or medical instruments and devices.
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Related to Leeches: Medicinal leeches
Leeches
Definition
Leeches are bloodsucking worms with segmented bodies. They belong to the same large classification of worms as earthworms and certain oceanic worms.
Leeches can primarily be found in freshwater lakes, ponds, or rivers. They range in size from 0.2 in (5 mm) to nearly 18 in (45 cm) and have two characteristic suckers located at either end of their bodies. Leeches consume the blood of a wide variety of animal hosts, ranging from fish to humans. To feed, a leech first attaches itself to the host using the suckers. One of these suckers surrounds the leech's mouth, which contains three sets of jaws that bite into the host's flesh, making a Y-shaped incision. As the leech begins to feed, its saliva releases chemicals that dilate blood vessels, thin the blood, and deaden the pain of the bite. Because of the saliva's effects, a person bitten by a leech may not even be aware of it until afterwards, when he or she sees the incision and the trickle of blood that is difficult to stop.
For centuries, leeches were a common tool of doctors, who believed that many diseases were the result of 'imbalances' in the body that could be stabilized by releasing blood. For example, leeches were sometimes attached to veins in the temples to treat headaches. Advances in medical knowledge led doctors to abandon bloodletting and the use of leeches in the mid-nineteenth century. In recent years, however, doctors have found a new purpose for leeches—helping to restore blood circulation to grafted or severely injured tissue.
Purpose
There are many occasions in medicine, mostly in surgery and trauma care, when blood accumulates and causes trouble. Leeches can be used to reduce the swelling of any tissue that is holding too much blood. This problem is most likely to occur in two situations:
- Trauma. Large blood clots resulting from trauma can threaten tissue survival by their size and pressure. Blood clots can also obstruct the patient's airway.
- Surgical procedures involving reattachment of severed body parts or tissue reconstruction following burns. In these situations it is difficult for the surgeon to make a route for blood to leave the affected part and return to the circulation. The hardest part of reattaching severed extremities like fingers, toes and ears is to reconnect the tiny veins. If the veins are not reconnected, blood will accumulate in the injured area. A similar situation occurs when plastic surgeons move large flaps of skin to replace skin lost to burns, trauma or radical surgery. The skin flaps often drain blood poorly, get congested, and begin to die. Leeches have come to the rescue in both situations.
Precautions
It is important to use only leeches that have been raised in the laboratory under sterile conditions in order to protect patients from infection. Therapeutic leeches belong to one of two species—Hirudo michaelseni or Hirudo medicinalis.
Description
One or more leeches are applied to the swollen area, depending on the size of the graft or injury, and left on for several hours. The benefits of the treatment lie not in the amount of blood that the leeches ingest, but in the anti-bloodclotting (anticoagulant) enzymes in the saliva that allow blood to flow from the bite for up to six hours after the animal is detached, effectively draining away blood that could otherwise accumulate and cause tissue death. Leech saliva has been described as a better anticoagulant than many currently available to treat strokes and heart attacks. Active investigation of the chemicals in leech saliva is currently under way, and one anticoagulant drug, hirudin, is derived from the tissues of Hirudo medicinalis.
Aftercare
The leeches are removed by pulling them off or by loosening their grip with cocaine, heat, or acid. The used leeches are then killed by placing them in an alcohol solution and disposed of as a biohazard. Proper care of the patient's sore is important, as is monitoring the rate at which it bleeds after the leech is removed. Any clots that form at the wound site during treatment should be removed to ensure effective blood flow.
Leech Definition
Risks
Infection is a constant possibility until the sore heals. It is also necessary to monitor the amount of blood that the leeches have removed from the patient, since a drop in red blood cell counts could occur in rare cases of prolonged bleeding.
Key terms
Anemia — A blood disorder marked by low hemoglobin levels in red blood cells, which leads to a deficiency of oxygen in the blood.
Anticoagulant — A chemical or medication that prevents blood from clotting.
Resources
Periodicals
Daane, S., et al. 'Clinical Use of Leeches in Reconstructive Surgery.' American Journal of Orthopedics 26, no. 8 (August 1997): 528-532.
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
Related to Leeches: Medicinal leeches
Leeches
Definition
Leeches are bloodsucking worms with segmented bodies. They belong to the same large classification of worms as earthworms and certain oceanic worms.
Leeches can primarily be found in freshwater lakes, ponds, or rivers. They range in size from 0.2 in (5 mm) to nearly 18 in (45 cm) and have two characteristic suckers located at either end of their bodies. Leeches consume the blood of a wide variety of animal hosts, ranging from fish to humans. To feed, a leech first attaches itself to the host using the suckers. One of these suckers surrounds the leech's mouth, which contains three sets of jaws that bite into the host's flesh, making a Y-shaped incision. As the leech begins to feed, its saliva releases chemicals that dilate blood vessels, thin the blood, and deaden the pain of the bite. Because of the saliva's effects, a person bitten by a leech may not even be aware of it until afterwards, when he or she sees the incision and the trickle of blood that is difficult to stop.
For centuries, leeches were a common tool of doctors, who believed that many diseases were the result of 'imbalances' in the body that could be stabilized by releasing blood. For example, leeches were sometimes attached to veins in the temples to treat headaches. Advances in medical knowledge led doctors to abandon bloodletting and the use of leeches in the mid-nineteenth century. In recent years, however, doctors have found a new purpose for leeches—helping to restore blood circulation to grafted or severely injured tissue.
Purpose
There are many occasions in medicine, mostly in surgery and trauma care, when blood accumulates and causes trouble. Leeches can be used to reduce the swelling of any tissue that is holding too much blood. This problem is most likely to occur in two situations:
- Trauma. Large blood clots resulting from trauma can threaten tissue survival by their size and pressure. Blood clots can also obstruct the patient's airway.
- Surgical procedures involving reattachment of severed body parts or tissue reconstruction following burns. In these situations it is difficult for the surgeon to make a route for blood to leave the affected part and return to the circulation. The hardest part of reattaching severed extremities like fingers, toes and ears is to reconnect the tiny veins. If the veins are not reconnected, blood will accumulate in the injured area. A similar situation occurs when plastic surgeons move large flaps of skin to replace skin lost to burns, trauma or radical surgery. The skin flaps often drain blood poorly, get congested, and begin to die. Leeches have come to the rescue in both situations.
Precautions
It is important to use only leeches that have been raised in the laboratory under sterile conditions in order to protect patients from infection. Therapeutic leeches belong to one of two species—Hirudo michaelseni or Hirudo medicinalis.
Description
One or more leeches are applied to the swollen area, depending on the size of the graft or injury, and left on for several hours. The benefits of the treatment lie not in the amount of blood that the leeches ingest, but in the anti-bloodclotting (anticoagulant) enzymes in the saliva that allow blood to flow from the bite for up to six hours after the animal is detached, effectively draining away blood that could otherwise accumulate and cause tissue death. Leech saliva has been described as a better anticoagulant than many currently available to treat strokes and heart attacks. Active investigation of the chemicals in leech saliva is currently under way, and one anticoagulant drug, hirudin, is derived from the tissues of Hirudo medicinalis.
Aftercare
The leeches are removed by pulling them off or by loosening their grip with cocaine, heat, or acid. The used leeches are then killed by placing them in an alcohol solution and disposed of as a biohazard. Proper care of the patient's sore is important, as is monitoring the rate at which it bleeds after the leech is removed. Any clots that form at the wound site during treatment should be removed to ensure effective blood flow.
Leech Definition
Risks
Infection is a constant possibility until the sore heals. It is also necessary to monitor the amount of blood that the leeches have removed from the patient, since a drop in red blood cell counts could occur in rare cases of prolonged bleeding.
Key terms
Anemia — A blood disorder marked by low hemoglobin levels in red blood cells, which leads to a deficiency of oxygen in the blood.
Anticoagulant — A chemical or medication that prevents blood from clotting.
Resources
Periodicals
Daane, S., et al. 'Clinical Use of Leeches in Reconstructive Surgery.' American Journal of Orthopedics 26, no. 8 (August 1997): 528-532.
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
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Types Of Leeches
