Contemporary plastic and reconstructive surgeons in units throughout the United
Kingdom and Ireland continue to use leeches to aid salvage of failing flaps. We carried
out a survey of all 62 plastic surgery units in the United Kingdom and the Republic of
Ireland to assess the current extent of use, and to investigate current practice.
We have shown that the majority of plastic surgery units in the UK and Ireland use
leeches post-operatively and that the average number of patients requiring leech
therapy was 10 cases per unit per year. Almost all units use antibiotic prophylaxis, but
the type of antibiotic and combination used is variable.