REVOLTING REMEDIES

SPECIALLY bred leeches, farmed in Wales, play a crucial role in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in London.

It might sound medieval, but the medical leeches, called hirudo medicinalis, are used to help improve blood flow in areas where it has become perilously poor after an operation.

They suck clotted blood from the delicate areas and, in doing so, restore flow to the small blood vessels there, helping to prevent the tissue dying.

Substances in their saliva prevent clotting — along with hyaluronidase, which swells the blood vessels (improving supply). There may be a small risk of infection from the leeches, but antibiotics are given to prevent this.