• Sang Wha Kim, Hyun Ho Han, and Sung-No Jung.
• Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 271 Chenbo-ro, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do 480-717, Republic of Korea.
• ScientificWorldJournal. 2014 Jan 1;2014:105234.

AbstractReplantation of zone I finger injuries remains a challenge, particularly if the fingertip was previously scarred or atrophied, which makes it difficult to secure a suitable vein at the amputation site. In cases of artery-only anastomosis, we propose using a mechanical leech technique to maintain sufficient venous outflow until the internal circulation regenerates. We applied this procedure to eight patients who had zone 1 amputations without veins that were suitable for anastomosis. Emergent surgery was performed and an artery-only anastomosis was created. As there were no veins available, we cut a branch of the central artery and anastomosed it with a 24-gauge angioneedle, which served as a conduit for venous drainage. The overall survival rate for zone I replantation using mechanical leech was 87.5% and the average time to maintain the mechanical leech was 5 days. The mechanical leech technique may serve as an alternative option for the management of venous congestion when no viable veins are available.

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