Leech lived in man's nose for 7 days, causing prolonged bleeding and difficulty breathing

A 53-year-old man suddenly had a prolonged nosebleed. An endoscopy revealed an 8cm leech that had been living in his nose for a week.

On the morning of July 25, Binh Dinh Hospital ( Gia Lai province) successfully removed a live leech from the nasal cavity of a 53-year-old man.

Doctors successfully removed a leech that had been alive for a week in a patient's nose.

PHOTO: TRIEU THANH

The patient is Mr. D.VH, residing in An Lao commune, Gia Lai province (formerly An Lao district, Binh Dinh province). Mr. H. was hospitalized with prolonged nosebleeds, difficulty breathing, nasal cavity swelling and many bleeding points.

Upon examination, doctors discovered a live leech crawling in his nasal cavity. This is a rare but very dangerous foreign object.

Doctors performed an endoscopy and removed a leech about 8 cm long, which had been living in the patient’s nose for 7 days. After the intervention, the patient’s bleeding stopped and his health gradually stabilized.

Mr. H. said that a week ago he went into the forest and drank water directly from a stream. After that, he had a nosebleed, but when examined at a private medical facility, the cause was not found.

Leeches are a rare but very dangerous foreign body.

PHOTO: TRIEU THANH

According to Dr. Le Dinh Huong, an ENT specialist, when leeches enter the nose, they will cling to the mucous membrane with their suction cups and secrete anticoagulants, making the patient feel less pain. If not detected promptly, leeches can cause blood loss, infection, mucosal edema, or crawl down the bronchi, causing airway obstruction, threatening life.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/con-vat-song-7-ngay-trong-mui-nguoi-dan-ong-gay-chay-mau-keo-dai-kho-tho-185250725160848802.htm