Death in Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding. Can Endoscopy Reduce Mortality?

In a retrospective analysis of 64 deaths from acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, 46 of the patients (72%) were found to have been over 60 years of age. Recurrent or continuous bledding occurred in 24 cases; after exclusion of deaths from sudden exsanguination (9) and from bleeding varices with subsequent hepatic failure (11), only 4 patients died from recurrent bleeding. Other causes of death were postoperative complications (20) and other severe concomitant disease (20). These results suggest that improved diagnostic techniques such as endoscopy may not significantly reduce the mortality from acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.