Abstract
Medicinal leeches are commonly used after finger replantation to treat surgically unsalvageable venous congestion. Infection from Aeromonas hydrophila is a recognized complication of leech therapy that can be underestimated by the medical community. Ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole are the most commonly recommended prophylactic antibiotics used to prevent A. hydrophila infections during leech therapy. Here, we report 2 cases of ciprofloxacin- resistant Aeromonas infections, occurring within 4 months of each other. Both cases developed after leech therapy for unsuccessful digital replantation. These infections were successfully treated with ceftriaxone. Ciprofloxacin-resistant Aeromonas should be recognized when determining prophylactic antibiotic protocols for replant centers when leech therapy is used for finger replantation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 499-502 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Hand Surgery |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2014 |
Keywords
- Aeromonas
- Replantation
- antibiotic prophylaxis
- antibiotic resistance
- leeches
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine