Conservative management of bleeding duodenal ulcer without a visible vessel: prospective randomized trial

Risk Factors of Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With Chronic Duodenal Ulcers

Background

We aimed to identify risk factors of mortality in patients hospitalized with duodenal ulcers (DUs).

Methods

A National Inpatient Sample–based retrospective cohort study from 2005 to 2014 was conducted on patients undergoing emergency admission for chronic DUs. Demographics, clinical data, and outcomes were collected. Multivariable logistic regression model was applied to find the risk factors of mortality.

Results

70 641 patients were included in this study, of which 30 525 (43%) were non-elderly (< 65 years) and 40 116 (57%) were elderly (65+ years) patients. 72% of non-elderly and 57% of elderly patients were males. Mortality rate of men vs women was similar in non-elderly group (1.9% vs 2%, respectively), whereas it significantly differed in elderly patients (4.5% vs 5.3%, respectively, P<.0001). Time to operation was 1.15 (1.83) days in survived vs 1.55 (3.86) days in deceased non-elderly patients ( P < .001). Time to operation was .85 (1.73) days in survived vs 1.79 (7.28) days in deceased elderly patients ( P < .001). In patients with operation, age, delayed operation, frailty, and presence of perforation were the main risk factors of mortality in both elderly and non-elderly patients. Invasive diagnostic procedure was shown as a protective factor in elderly patients. In the final model for patients with no operation, age, hospital length of stay, and frailty were the main risk factors of mortality in both elderly and non-elderly patients. Invasive diagnostic procedure was revealed as a protective factor in all patients as well.

Conclusion

Early operation in patients with DU requiring surgical intervention is essential to improve the outcomes.

Emergency ulcer surgery

The rate of elective surgery for peptic ulcer disease has been declining steadily over the past 3 decades. During this same period, the rate of emergency ulcer surgery rose by 44%. This means that the gastrointestinal surgeon is likely to be called on to manage the emergent complications of peptic ulcer disease without substantial experience in elective peptic ulcer disease surgery. The goal of this review is to familiarize surgeons with our evolving understanding of the pathogenesis, epidemiology, presentation, and management of peptic ulcer disease in the emergency setting, with a focus on peptic ulcer disease-associated bleeding and perforation.

Management of massive peptic ulcer bleeding

Massive bleeding from a peptic ulcer remains a challenge. A multidisciplinary team of skilled endoscopists, intensive care specialists, experienced upper gastrointestinal surgeons, and intervention radiologists all have a role to play. Endoscopy is the first-line treatment. Even with larger ulcers, endoscopic hemostasis can be achieved in the majority of cases. Surgery is clearly indicated in patients in whom arterial bleeding cannot be controlled at endoscopy. Angiographic embolization is an alternate option, particularly in those unfit for surgery. In selected patients judged to belong to the high-risk group--ulcers 2 cm or greater in size located at the lesser curve and posterior bulbar duodenal, shock on presentation, and elderly with comorbid illnesses--a more aggressive postendoscopy management is warranted. The optimal course of action is unclear. Most would be expectant and offer medical therapy in the form of acid suppression. Surgical series suggest that early elective surgery may improve outcome. Angiography allows the bleeding artery to be characterized, and coil embolization of larger arteries may further add to endoscopic hemostasis. The role of early elective surgery or angiographic embolization in selected high-risk patients to forestall recurrent bleeding remains controversial. Prospective studies are needed to compare different management strategies in these high-risk ulcers.

Acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage: is a radiological interventional approach an alternative to emergency surgery?

The aim of our study was to discuss the option of endovascular treatment compared to surgery for patients with endoscopically unmanageable nonvariceal hemorrhage of the upper gastrointestinal tract. From 2000 to 2006, 23 patients (male, 15 male; female, 8; mean age, 69 years) who failed endoscopic therapy for upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage were retrospectively evaluated. Twelve patients were operated on (SG), whereas 11 patients had an endovascular intervention (IG). Technical and primary clinical success rates and complications rates were calculated. Clinical parameters and comorbidities were related to outcome. The surgical group suffered less frequently from pre-existing pulmonary diseases (SG, 17%; IG, 55%; p = 0.05) and had a higher incidence of shock requiring catecholamines (p < 0.01) or plasma expander therapy (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the incidence of recurrent bleeding episodes (SG, 17%; IG, 27%; p = 0.35) and mortality rates (SG, 17%; IG, 27%, p = 0.35). Deaths in the IG were due to recurrent bleeding. In patients with unsuccessful endoscopic control of nonvariceal bleeding of the upper GI tract, surgery remains a very effective treatment. However, in patients with a high surgical risk due to unknown bleeding sources and/or severe pre-existing diseases/comorbidities, endovascular therapy offers an excellent treatment option. These patients should then be operated on as early as possible to minimize the risk of recurrent bleeding episodes, which are associated with high morbidity and mortality.

[Ulcer surgery - what remains?]

Ulcer surgery today concentrates on the complications of chronic ulcer disease, especially ulcer perforation and endoscopically uncontrollable ulcer bleeding. In this case the laparoscopic or open closure of the gastroduodenal defect or local hemostasis of the bleeding ulcer by laparotomy are the main aims of surgery. Elective operations due to recurrent gastric or duodenal ulcers have become rare. An indication for gastric ulcer resistant to conservative therapy could be persisting suspicion of malignancy whereas in duodenal ulcer gastric outlet obstruction represents a reason for surgery. If these indications are confirmed the classic procedures of gastric resection like Billroth I and Billroth II are performed whereas vagotomy is no longer used. Altogether ulcer surgery has become very safe although it is practiced quite rarely.

Impact of therapeutic endoscopy on the treatment of bleeding duodenal ulcers: 1980-1990

Therapeutic endoscopy (TE) has provided a new means for treating peptic ulcer disease, prompting a reevaluation of surgery's role. The aim of this study was to determine if surgical therapy of bleeding duodenal ulcers has changed since the advent of TE. This retrospective review involved consecutive time periods during which TE was (1985-1990) and was not (1980-1984) widely available. Exclusion criteria were prior gastric surgery, nonpeptic conditions, and untreated ulcers. Inclusion standards were met by 252 patients (180 men, 72 women) whose mean age was 67 years. Patients were grouped by the initial therapeutic intervention. Groups were similar in age, medical condition (mean APACHE II score 16), and morbidity. Seventy-five patients had surgery alone during 1980-1984 and 38 during 1985-1990. TE was initially performed on 134 patients during 1985-1990. Bleeding (n = 30) and perforation (n = 1) prompted emergent operation in 23% of cases following TE. Thus 69 (38 + 31) patients underwent surgery between 1985 and 1990. Preprocedure transfusions averaged 4.1 units in the endoscopic group and 8.2 units in the operative groups (p < 0.0001). Disagreement existed between the endoscopic and surgical descriptions of ulcer location in 53% of cases. Emergent surgery was required in 45% of hemodynamically unstable patients versus 14% of stable patients who initially underwent TE (p < 0.0001). Sixty-one percent of incompletely visualized TE-treated lesions required operation, and 18% of well visualized ulcers underwent operation (p < 0.0001). Hospital mortality was similar (8% versus 16%) in the endoscopic and operated groups (p = 0.7). Mean follow-up was 540 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gastroduodenal disease in the elderly patient

Benign and malignant diseases of the stomach and duodenum are common in the elderly. Atypical presentations frequently are seen, making early diagnosis difficult. Aggressive surgical and medical management regimens are usually possible, giving cure rates comparable to those seen in the younger population.

Limitations of endoscopic haemostasis by ethanol injection and surgical management for bleeding peptic ulcer

Two hundred and fifty-three patients with bleeding peptic ulcer underwent therapeutic endoscopy using local ethanol injection and were evaluated to determine the need for surgery and outcome. Permanent endoscopic haemostasis was achieved in 178 (70.4%) cases. Pulsatile arterial bleeding in ulcers and shock on admission (respectively, P < 0.01, P < 0.05) were significantly more frequent in patients with unsuccessful endoscopic treatment. Postoperative stay was significantly longer (P < 0.05) for patients with bleeding peptic ulcer than for patients requiring surgery for intractable ulcer without bleeding. Surgery was recommended if three attempts at endoscopic treatment did not achieve permanent haemostasis. The need for more than three such treatment sessions and the presence of a large excavated ulcer with an exposed vessel in an elderly patient were considered to indicate the necessity for surgery. Surgical procedures to which the operator is accustomed and intensive management were recommended for emergency cases to optimize the likelihood of survival.

Emergency surgical treatment for bleeding duodenal ulcer: oversewing plus vagotomy versus gastric resection, a controlled randomized trial. French Associations for Surgical Research

The best surgical procedure to treat bleeding bulbar peptic ulcer is unknown. The rates of postoperative bleeding recurrence, duodenal leakage, and mortality were compared in patients undergoing oversewing plus vagotomy (O+V) or gastric resection (GR) with ulcer excision. Of 202 patients undergoing emergency surgery for massive, persistent, or recurrent bleeding from bulbar peptic ulcer, 120 patients were enrolled in a prospective randomized trial. Fifty-nine were assigned to O+V and 61 to GR. One patient in each group was excluded after randomization. The two groups were well matched with respect to clinical and prognostic factors. The rate of postoperative bleeding recurrence was 17% after O+V and 3% after GR (p < 0.05). The duodenal leak rate was higher after GR than after O+V (13% vs. 3%) (p < 0.10) but was not different when the morbidity of reoperations for bleeding recurrence after O+V was considered on an "intention to treat" basis (12% vs. 13%). Overall postoperative mortality was similar: 22% (O+V) versus 23% (GR). Sixteen deaths were unrelated to the surgical procedure itself. Of 82 nonrandomized patients, 10 were not analyzed. In the 72 other nonrandomized patients, bleeding recurrence, duodenal leakage, and postoperative mortality rates were consistent with the results of the controlled trial, as they were 29% (O+V 32%; GR 0.7%), 16% (O+V 0.7%; GR 26%) and 27% (O+V 18%; GR 33.3%), respectively. We conclude that GR with ulcer excision is the procedure of choice for the emergency surgical treatment of bleeding duodenal ulcer because postoperative bleeding recurrence is lower, and the overall rates of mortality and duodenal leakage are the same as with O+V.

Peptic ulcer bleeding: medical and surgical point of view. Results of a prospective interdisciplinary multicenter observational study. DUSUK Study Group

Various treatment policies and clinical disciplines compete for the treatment of bleeding peptic ulcer. In a prospective multicenter and interdisciplinary study performed during a 1-year period at ten hospitals in Düsseldorf, all patients admitted for peptic ulcer bleeding were recorded. The characteristics of patients admitted to surgical and to medical departments, the distribution of endoscopic treatment, indications for surgery, type of surgical procedures, and outcome were investigated. In the study period 387 bleeding peptic ulcers were recorded. Of these patients 82% were primarily admitted to medical and 18% to surgical departments. No differences in terms of severity of ulcer disease or bleeding activity were noted between the groups of medical and surgical patients. However, accompanying or underlying diseases were detected more often in patients admitted to medical departments. Endoscopy treatment was performed in the majority of patients with arterial spurting bleeding (88%) or a visible vessel (80%). Injection therapy with epinephrine or polidocanol was mainly used (78%). In 16% of cases the patients underwent operation; 44% of the patients primarily admitted to a surgical department were operated (medical departments, 10%). About half of the operated patients underwent emergency surgery; in the majority of cases resections were performed (gastric ulcer, 76%; duodenal ulcer, 56%). Overall mortality was 11%, with no difference between surgical and medical patients. A high mortality was observed in the subgroup of patients with late recurrent bleeding (27%). It is concluded that for optimal treatment of peptic ulcer bleeding intensive cooperation between physicians and surgeons is necessary, and that agreed and evaluated treatment policies are needed.

Hypotension and endoscopic stigmata of recent haemorrhage in bleeding peptic ulcer: risk models for rebleeding and mortality

Clinical and endoscopic data were collected prospectively in 1050 patients with bleeding peptic ulcer admitted between September 1985 and July 1989 to the care of one surgical team. Seventy-nine patients underwent therapeutic endoscopy soon after admission and in 129 patients either immediate or early elective surgery was performed. Eight hundred and forty-two patients, in whom therapeutic endoscopy was not performed at any stage, underwent initial conservative management and data from this latter group are now presented. Shock on admission was defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) less than or equal to 100 mmHg on presentation. There were 10 deaths of 147 shocked patients (6.8%) compared with only 25 deaths of 695 patients (3.6%) not in shock (P less than 0.08). Bleeding recurred in 30 patients (20.4%) shocked on presentation but in only 96 (13.8%) with a BP greater than 100 mmHg (P less than 0.05). Twenty-one of 358 patients (5.9%) with endoscopic stigmata of recent haemorrhage (ESRH) died, but only 14 of 484 patients (2.9%) without such stigmata (P less than 0.05) died. In shocked patients rebleeding was evident in 21 of 73 (28.8%) cases with ESRH but in only 9 of 74 (12.2%) patients in whom ESRH were absent (P less than 0.02). In the absence of fresh blood at endoscopy rebleeding occurred in 22 of 124 (17.8%) shocked patients and only 74 of 629 (11.8%) of those not shocked on presentation (P less than 0.07). When ulcer size was documented rebleeding rates for ulcers less than or equal to 1 cm, less than or equal to 2 cm and greater than 2 cm in size were 54 of 485 (11.1%), 30 of 142 (21.2%) and 12 of 44 (27.3%) respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Use of endoscopy in peptic ulcer disease

The diagnosis and treatment of acute bleeding caused by peptic ulcer disease has been greatly facilitated by fiberoptic endoscopy. The basic differentiation between malignant and benign gastric ulcer requires endoscopic confirmation with biopsy. The management of bleeding from peptic ulceration can be enhanced by endoscopic examination as can the prediction of risk for recurrent bleeding or need for surgical intervention. Various therapeutic maneuvers can be performed endoscopically, including monopolar and multipolar cautery, laser and heater probe therapy, and injection of vasoconstrictors to control bleeding. Endoscopic balloon dilation for the management of gastric outlet obstruction is often effective.

Management of bleeding ulcers

Hemorrhage is a common complication of peptic ulcer disease and is increased in frequency and severity with aspirin and NSAID use. A variety of clinical and endoscopic factors associated with an increased mortality rate from ulcer bleeding have been identified, the most important of which are presentation in shock and ongoing or recurrent bleeding after routine resuscitative measures. After hemodynamic stabilization, the goal of therapy is to diminish the chance that an ulcer will continue to bleed or will rebleed. Currently, this is best achieved by one of several endoscopic interventions in carefully selected patients. The most effective endoscopic techniques for decreasing the risk of ulcer rebleeding are multipolar electrocoagulation, heater probe thermal coagulation, and injection therapy in patients with active bleeding or a visible vessel in the ulcer base. Injection therapy may be used alone or in combination with either of the other two techniques. The major impact of therapeutic endoscopy appears to be a reduction in the number of emergent operations necessary to control hemorrhage. The mortality of emergent surgery for bleeding ulcer is prohibitive, and any means of reducing the need for surgery is likely to have a beneficial effect on survival.

Bleeding duodenal ulcer. A prospective evaluation of risk factors for rebleeding and death

There were 12 hospital deaths in 433 patients (2.8%, 1.6% at 30 days) presenting with bleeding duodenal ulcer. Excluding patients who underwent immediate operation or early elective surgery, where ulcer size was measured at initial endoscopy rebleeding was evident in 40/288 patients (13.9%) and was associated with an increased mortality (0.4% v 12.5%) (p less than 0.0001). Rebleeding rates for ulcers less than or equal to 1 cm and greater than 1 cm were respectively 28/239 (11.7%) and 12/49 (24.5%) (p less than 0.02). Rebleeding occurred in 13/186 patients (7.0%) in whom endoscopic stigmata of recent haemorrhage were absent and in 27/102 (26.5%) with such stigmata (p less than 0.0001). The mortality rate for patients without stigmata was 3/186 (1.6%) whilst mortality figures for patients with ulcers less than or equal to 1 cm and greater than 1 cm in size were respectively 0/77 and 3/25 (12.0%) when stigmata were identified. Ulcers greater than 1 cm were more frequent in the greater than 60 year age group, more likely to have stigmata and carried an increased risk of rebleeding and mortality.

Should we be changing our operative strategies for the acute complications of peptic ulcer disease?

H2-receptor blockade for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease has been with us for over a decade and has led to a dramatic decrease in the number of operations being performed for chronic ulcer disease. Many surgeons feel that the swing away from ulcer surgery has gone too far. Nevertheless surgeons may have been slow to grasp the importance of H2-receptor blockers in the management of the acute complications of ulcer disease.