1979 Volume 21 Issue 9 Pages 1058-1065
Acute upper-gastrointestinal hemorrhage is one of the most common medical emergencies. Emergency endoscopy is the most accurate diagnostic method, and contributes to assess the prognosis in the individual patient. Four hundred and twenty-five patients admitted to our hospital due to acute uppergastrointestinal bleeding in the past 5 years. (during 1973-1977) One hundred and ninety-eight patients underwent emergency endoscopy within a few hours after hospitalization, and others early endoscopy or roentgenography. 1) In 96.2% of them, the causes of bleeding were confirmed. Bleeding from gastric ulcer was most common (47.1 %), and duodenal ulcer was seen in 24.9%, and then gastric cancer, esophageal varices, and acute gastric mucosal lesion were seen in 8.9%, 8.7%, and 4.9% respectively. 2) A correct diagnosis was established by emergency endoscopy in 94.9% of all. 3) Marked anemia below 7.9 g/dl in hemoglobin value was detected in 40% and moderate anemia below 9.9 g/dl was in 30%, and blood transfusion was required in 38.8%. 4) Surgery was needed in 28.9% and emergency operation was done in a half of them. 5) The overall mortality rate was 5.9% and almost all of them were the patients with gastric cancer and liver cirrhosis with esophageal varices. The mortality of gastro-duodenal ulcer was only 0.3%.
