8cm leech was removed from the trachea, and the woman coughed for half a month
According to the WeChat account "Wenshan Prefecture Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital", Wei, a 60 year old villager from Malipo County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, recently came to the Department of Pulmonary Disease at Wenshan Prefecture Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for treatment. For half a month, she has been experiencing paroxysmal and severe coughing, mostly dry cough, with a large amount of clear and thin phlegm, with blood streaks in the sputum. She feels a foreign body sensation in her throat after coughing.
The chest CT scan of Wenshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital shows a slightly high-density shadow in Wei's trachea, which is related to his cough and non discharge of blood. The hospital plans to undergo bronchoscopy to assist in diagnosis and treatment, and the patient's family agrees to undergo the examination, followed by surgical treatment. After bronchoscopy, the doctor found a leech at her glottis.
Leeches have suction cups that can tightly adhere to the wall of the trachea. If pulled with pliers directly, it can damage the patient's airway and cause complications such as tracheal mucosal damage. If the leech is accidentally pulled off, the suction cup will still remain in the body, increasing the risk of a second surgery. Under the full guidance of Director Zhao Xiao from Mengzi People's Hospital, medical staff cooperated in a tacit manner and completely removed the leech through painless bronchoscopy under general anesthesia. After visual inspection, the leech was approximately 8cm in length.
Leeches, also known as leeches, make a living by sucking blood from humans and animals. Director Li Xianrong of the Pulmonary Disease Department introduced that the patient had worked in the mountains before the onset of the disease, drank untreated mountain spring and canal water, and brought leeches into her body. They adsorbed in her trachea and parasitized by sucking blood, which could grow to several centimeters in a short time. If leeches wriggled around the glottis or trachea, they would stimulate the mucosa, causing the patient to feel a foreign body sensation in the throat, severe cough, sputum, and even blood in the sputum. There are indeed many cases like this, almost all of which are caused by drinking raw water.
After removing the leech through bronchoscopy, the patient's cough, sputum, blood in the sputum, and foreign body sensation in the throat disappeared. They quickly returned to normal, and their mental state was good. They were discharged the next day.
Hospital Reminder:
When going out for fun or in the wild, try not to drink untreated or filtered mountain springs or streams directly to avoid drinking parasites and their eggs.
When camping or having a picnic, it is also important to boil the water before drinking.
3. If you notice any abnormalities in your body after drinking raw water, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid delaying treatment.
4. If pulmonary nodules or masses are found, unexplained mediastinal lymph node enlargement or mediastinal mass; Airway foreign body, suspected airway injury and stenosis; Infectious diseases of lung or bronchus, repeated pneumonia or refractory pneumonia; Unidentified chronic cough, hemoptysis or blood in sputum, atelectasis, sputum or wheezing, diffuse pulmonary parenchymal disease, local wheezing, hoarseness and other diseases can be treated at the Pulmonary Disease Department of Wenshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.
