Doctors perform rare surgery to remove live leech stuck in man's windpipe in Siliguri

Sajin Rai (49), a resident of Mirik, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after the leech got stuck in his windpipe while drinking water from a spring a fortnight ago.

Siliguri: Doctors at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal's Siliguri on Wednesday performed a rare surgery on a man to remove a live leech stuck in his windpipe. According to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital sources, Sajin Rai (49), a resident of Mirik underwent a one-and-a-half-hour surgery by a team of doctors.

He was discharged on Thursday and is recovering. The team comprised Otorhinolaryngologist Radheshyam Mahato, doctors Soumik Das, Gautam Das, Soumendu Bhowmik, Manideepa Sarkar, Tuhin Shasmal, Azharuuddin and Ajitav Sarkar. Besides, the anaesthesia team was led by Dr Abhishek Ganguly. The patient was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after the leech got stuck in his windpipe while drinking water from a spring a fortnight ago.

The doctors claimed that the surgery was the rarest case. Dr Radheshyam Mahato, Head of the ENT Department, said he had never encountered such a case in his nearly 40 years of medical service. “Worryingly, it was getting deep into the respiratory tract when it was diagnosed. That's why we had to be very careful. This is a rare occurrence. Currently, the patient is healthy,” he said.