水蛭吸血過多治病變攞命

奧地利一名女醫生利用「水蛭療法」，用上三十二隻水蛭替一名八十六歲老婦治療，不料病人在接受治療數小時後被「吸乾」，因失血過多及心臟病發死亡。女醫生被控誤殺罪。

八十六歲的瑪麗亞（Maria P.）由於腿部出現靜脈過窄的情況，導致血流不暢。她在二○○七年七月六日，前往女醫生克雷布斯（Ingeborg Krebs）的診所求醫。

克雷布斯將三十二條水蛭置於瑪麗亞的右腳進行治療。在瑪麗亞完成治療後數小時，她的健康情況急轉直下，身體疼痛及 不停冒汗，最後需要送往醫院治理。但在她入院後不久，就因為由失血過多引起的貧血，引發心臟病發死亡。法醫在驗屍後，認為死者生前進行水蛭療法「放血」， 是誘發瑪麗亞心臟病發而死的原因。克雷布斯遭警方起訴誤殺罪。

克雷布斯在初審時被質疑知道瑪麗亞患有心臟病，仍為她進行水蛭治療，克雷布斯在庭上否認其事。她亦堅決否認知道瑪麗亞前往求診前，服用過降血壓及薄血藥。

有報道指，控方認為克雷布斯使用的水蛭數目過多。格拉茨大學醫學院蘭斯格教授更直指，在瑪麗亞的個案中，根本沒有必要對她進行水蛭治療。

在前日進行的審訊中，專家以二比一的票數，裁定瑪麗亞是因為水蛭療法而死。目前此案仍然在審訊當中，預料在本周內有裁決，一旦罪成，克雷布斯可被判監三年。

9月3東方
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呢單嘢居然我係睇香港報紙先知,當時電視,報紙都冇講.問本地人都唔知.最近呢單嘢宣判,判監四個月.

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Doctor sentenced after leech therapy patient dies

By Thomas Hochwarter

A doctor has been jailed for four months after a patient died when she treated her with leeches.

A court in Korneuburg found Dr Inge Krebs, 53, guilty of involuntary manslaughter after it heard how 86-year-old Maria P. had lost a litre of blood after the leech treatment for a foot condition.

Medical expert Wolfgang Denk had told the court on Tuesday that the elderly woman would have survived had she not been treated with leeches.

He said the therapy would not have resulted in death had the woman not suffered from heart disease.

But he added Dr Krebs should have assumed that the patient was suffering from coronary heart disease as the possibility of such a condition when a patient has blood vessel problems in the feet – as Maria P. had – was between 50 and 90 per cent.

An autopsy found 32 wounds on the woman’s body.

Two former patients of the female doctor, who were called as witnesses, said the leech therapy had saved them from having their feet amputated.

Dr Krebs said she will appeal.

www.austriantimes.at 22Oct09