This alarming case prompted healthcare professionals to issue a stern warning about the risks of drinking water from natural sources.
Published Feb 07, 2024 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 07, 2024 | 8:00 AM
The live leech inside the woman's larynx. (Supplied)
A woman from Gorubathan, a small village in the scenic foothills of the Himalayas, was finding it very difficult to swallow anything.
She complained of a feeling of something being stuck in her throat, severe discomfort and even breathing difficulties.
Imagine the surprise of the doctors who found a dangerous leech in her larynx!
The doctors from the ENT ward of the North Bengal Medical College operated on her and found that the leech had lodged itself at the inlet of her respiratory passage. It had to be removed through an emergency operation.
Interestingly, when asked about it, the patient revealed she visited a local waterfall and consumed water from it.
This alarming case has prompted healthcare professionals to issue a stern warning about the risks associated with drinking water from natural sources such as waterfalls, rivers, and lakes.
The presence of small or sometimes nearly invisible creatures in these water bodies could lead to severe health complications if ingested or if they enter the body through other means.
The live leech that the 40-year-old woman had swallowed and was stuck in her throat. (Supplied)
A message from Dr Radheshyam Mahato, the head of the Department of ENT at the North Bengal Medical College, was circulated amongst doctors’ groups asking people to become more aware and exercise caution while drinking water from such places.
The message, explaining the case in detail read, “A 40-year-old female patient from Gorubathan was admitted in the ENT ward of North Bengal Medical College on 2 January afternoon with a history of difficulty in swallowing and cough for the last three days.”
The message said that she drank from a natural waterfall 15 days ago near her village in Gorubathan.
Fibre-optic laryngoscopy revealed a live leech in her larynx — the inlet of the respiratory passage.
“The patient was experiencing severe discomfort. The patient was taken to the emergency OT (operation theatre) for removal [of the leech] the same evening. The leech was found to be alive and attached firmly to the larynx. It was continuously moving and changing positions,” the message continued.
The doctor said that keeping in mind the possibilities of migration of the leech in the lungs and the resulting bleeding, an emergency tracheostomy was done to protect the lower airway tract, thus preventing subsequent complications.
With the live leech removed from the larynx, the patient is now said to be out of danger and stable.
The operating doctors were Dr Radheshyam Mahato, Dr Goutam Das, Dr Soumendu Bhaumik, Dr Tuhin Sasmal, Dr Azahuruddin, Dr Ajitava Sarkar, and Dr Sandip Mondal.
Members of the anaesthesia team were Dr Dharmaraja, Dr Nisha Bhutia, Dr Sourav Karmakar, Dr Diya Mitra and Dr Parsi Mandi. The nursing staff who helped in the procedure were Shabnam Sharma, Deepika Barman, and Sk Azharuddin.
“I would like to create awareness among everyone to be very careful while drinking water and having food to avoid this kind of critical situation,” said Dr Radheshyam Mahato.
Confirming the message and the incident, Mahato told South First, “This is the second case in my 34 years of ENT experience. The first one was in December 2022 from the same district of Kalimpong, a hill area. However, it is important for people to know about such scenarios.”
He also confirmed to South First that the tracheotomy tube was removed on 6 January and the patient was doing well.
South First spoke to ENT doctors in South India to know if it was possible for someone to swallow such creatures.
They agreed that this was definitely a possibility, and said one must be careful while drinking water from such natural bodies.
Dr Mohan G, an ENT specialist from Sagar Hospital, said it was a natural tendency for many to drink water from waterfalls, rivers, or freshwater lakes.
However, they have to be very careful of the possibility of unknowingly swallowing small creatures — even insects like spiders, bees, or flies — that could sometimes create trouble when inside the body.
Though he termed the incident of the leech in the woman’s throat a rare incident, Dr Achyuth Panuganti warned that it was important to identify if there were any small living creatures in the water bodies before swimming in it or consuming water from it.
He said, “They can obstruct the airway or food pipe, leading to fatal outcomes.”
The doctor recommended filtering water before consumption and being vigilant while swimming or engaging in activities in or around natural water bodies.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the hidden dangers in natural environments and the importance of taking preventive measures to ensure safety, added the doctors.
