Blood Suckers

Wonder what these critters are? Well...if the title of this post was not a dead give away, then the next picture should help. Buggeroo! Can't seem to get blogger to upload my pics...so no other pictures, I'm afraid...for now that is.

Anyhow, you all know that I was recently in Belgium visiting the University Hospital Ghent. Well, yours truly found out about their lovely little 'pets' and just had had had to pay them (the leeches) a visit before leaving the place. I find leeches so fascinating though am rather afraid of them at the same time. For instance...did you guys know that you would hardly notice a leech 'leeching' on to your skin...unless of course you are so damn perasan that you just have to gaze at single inch of you once every ten minutes. Their saliva contains substances that anaesthetise (numb) the wound area, dilate the blood vessels to increase blood flow and prevent the blood from clotting.

How does this translate to a medical benefit?

During operations, micro surgeons usually have little trouble attaching the two ends of the arteries, because arteries are thick-walled and relatively easy to suture. Veins, however, are thin-walled and especially difficult to suture, particularly if the tissue is badly damaged. All too often the surgeon can get blood to flow in the reattached arteries but not veins. With the venous circulation severely compromised, the blood going to the reattached finger (or any other limb) becomes congested, or stagnant; the reattached portion turns blue and lifeless and is at serious risk of being lost. It is in these cases that leeches are summoned to do all that cool stuff I mentioned above.

And this has been an educational service provided by the great Leech herself.