Doctors removed an 8-centimetre-long leech from a 60-year-old woman's throat after she drunk mountain spring water in southwestern China.

The video was filmed in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province on September 3.

The woman named Wei had been suffering from a persistent cough for half a month, accompanied by bloody sputum. Concerned about her health, she visited the Pulmonary Department of Wenshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

A chest CT scan revealed a slightly high-density shadow within her airway. The doctors believed that her symptoms, including coughing and spitting blood, might be related to this anomaly. After discussing the situation with Wei's family, they decided on a surgical procedure.

During the procedure, using a bronchoscope, the doctors were astonished to find a leech attached near his vocal cords. The leech, with its suckers, was tightly adhered to the walls of the trachea. If the doctors attempted to forcibly remove it, they risked injuring Wei's airway and potentially causing complications like tracheal mucosal damage.

Moreover, if they were to accidentally break the leech, leaving its suckers inside, it would necessitate a second surgery.

After thorough consideration, the medical team, working in perfect sync, decided on a strategy. They administered general anaesthesia and, using a painless bronchoscopic technique, safely removed the entire leech.

After the removal, Wei's symptoms like coughing, bloody sputum, and the sensation of a foreign body in the throat disappeared. She quickly returned to a healthy state, mentally and physically, and was soon discharged from the hospital.

Dr. Li Xianrong, the head of the Pulmonary Department of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, explained that Wei had been working in the mountains before her symptoms appeared. She had consumed untreated mountain spring water, which likely led to the leech entering her body.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

9月3日，云南文山，60岁的村民韦某因咳嗽半月不见好，且痰中带血丝，来到文山州中医医院肺病科就诊。医院胸部CT提示，气管内见稍高密度影，其咳嗽、咳血不排外与此相关，医生在和患者家属沟通病情后打算进行手术治疗，在医生通过支气管镜探入时，竟然在她的声门处发现一条蚂蟥。
因为蚂蟥身上长有吸盘，可以很紧密地吸附在气管壁上，如果直接用钳子生拉硬扯，会损伤患者的气道引起气管粘膜损伤等并发症，若不慎把蚂蟥扯断吸盘还残留在体内徒增二次手术。
经过研究，最终在医务人员默契协作下，通过全麻无痛支气管镜完全将蚂蟥取了出来，经测量这条蚂蟥体长约8cm。蚂蟥取出后，韦某咳嗽、咳痰、痰中带血及喉间异物感消失，很快就恢复正常，精神状态良好，目前已恢复健康并出院。 蚂蟥学名水蛭，这种生物以吸食人畜血液为生。中医院肺病科李献荣主任介绍，该患者发病前曾在山间劳作，饮用过未经处理的山泉沟渠水，把蚂蟥带入体内。据他介绍，大部分蚂蟥入体都是喝了生水导致。