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A 19-year-old had her ear ripped off by a pit bull terrier – and then reattached with the help leeches.
The woman, in the U.S., was the victim of a vicious dog attack that left her with a completely amputated ear, which still had an earring in it.
Surgeons managed to reattach the ear but had to use leeches to drain blood from it while it recovered.
The first image shows the ear missing and second shows the severed organ, which still had an earring attached. Surgeons reattached the ear and reconnected an artery to take oxygenated blood to the organ. But, they were unable to find a vein to reconnect to drain deoxygenated blood. So, they used leeches to drain the blood (third) while the veins regrew. The woman now has only a tiny scar (fourth picture)
The woman went to Rhode Island Hospital after the attack and Dr Stephen Sullivan reattached her severed ear, LiveScience reports.
He was able to find a tiny artery which he could reconnect to allow oxygenated blood to reach the ear and keep it alive.
However, the surgeon was unable to find a vein to drain deoxygenated blood from the ear.
As a result, for more than two weeks – while new veins formed - she had to have leeches attached to her ear to drain the deoxygenated blood.
Thanks to this slightly gruesome treatment, the woman has now made a full recovery and has been left with nothing but a small scar, according to a report of the case in the New England Journal of Medicine.
As it was only her outer ear that was damaged - her hearing has not been affected - but she did have to spend more than two weeks in hospital.
Doctors regard leeches as one of nature's best engineers. In this case, they acted as temporary drainage for the ear while the it made its own veins
Dr Sullivan told LiveScience: ‘The body is very efficient at making new arteries and veins, so the leeches are temporary.
‘They act as temporary drainage for the ear while it makes its own new veins.’
He added: ‘Nature has worked for a long, long time to make a leech, and we do not have something we've invented as scientists, engineers or doctors that has done better than what nature has done.’
Dr Sullivan did admit that some patients are a little shocked by the idea of treatment using leeches.
However, he says most come to develop a respect for the creatures.
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