Leech therapy as an adjunct to ayurvedic management of peripheral vascular disease (gambhira vatarakta) and gangrenous foot: A case report

Introduction

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a manifestation of systemic atherosclerotic vascular disease in which impaired arterial perfusion of the lower extremities may progress to ischemic tissue injury, ulceration, and gangrene. In the Ayurvedic framework, the clinical phenotype of peripheral vascular disease may be interpreted within the spectrum of Vatarakta, particularly when the manifestations suggest involvement of both Vata and Rakta with obstruction of normal vascular pathways. Case Presentation: The present case report describes a 67-year-old woman with hypertension who presented with blackish discolouration of both lower limbs, blister formation followed by ulceration of the left foot, and progressive gangrenous changes over the plantar aspect of the foot. The case was clinically diagnosed as peripheral vascular disease with ischemic gangrenous changes and correlated with Gambhira Vatarakta.