Abstract

A CASE STUDY OF JALAUKAVACHARANA (LEECH THERAPY) FOR POST-OPERATIVE COMPLICATION IN DRY AND WET LIP LACERATION

Ashwani Sharma*, Gopikrishna B. J.

Abstract

The management of traumatic maxillofacial injuries, specifically complex lip lacerations, demands an intricate balance between precise surgical reconstruction and the meticulous mitigation of post-operative physiological complications. In Sushruta Samhita, such traumatic injuries are comprehensively classified as Sadhyo Vrana, representing acute wounds that frequently provoke severe localized inflammatory responses characterized by pronounced edema, intractable pain, and critical venous congestion that threatens tissue viability and delays the healing cascade. To counteract these microvascular complications, Jalaukavacharana (Medicinal Leech Therapy) serves as an unparalleled, parasurgical Ayurvedic intervention specifically indicated for the extraction of vitiated blood and the rapid attenuation of inflammation. This report details the clinical trajectory of a 35-year-old male who presented with severe facial trauma resulting from a high-velocity fall, sustaining a 10x1 cm dry lip laceration and a 5x1 cm wet lip laceration that deeply involved the intraoral mucosa and the superior labial frenulum. Following a rigorous four-layered primary surgical closure to reestablish anatomical continuity, the patient developed severe post-operative edema and cyanotic venous congestion. To salvage the microcirculation, the patient underwent Jalaukavacharana over three consecutive days, supplemented by the topical mucosal application of Yashtimadhu Taila Gandusha. The intervention yielded a precipitous and significant reduction in pain, swelling, localized hyperthermia, alongside the complete restoration of capillary perfusion. The traumatic wound achieved full epithelialization rapidly and without secondary complications or hypertrophic scarring. Consequently, medicinal leech therapy emerges as a highly efficient, cost-effective, and minimally invasive adjunct to modern reconstructive surgery for traumatic facial wounds, profoundly promoting accelerated healing while circumventing the need for systemic anticoagulants.

Keywords: Jalaukavacharana, Sadhyo Vrana, Raktamokshana, Hirudotherapy, Yashtimadhu Taila.