Etiological and Endoscopic Profile of Middle Aged and Elderly Patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India: A Retrospective Analysis

Evaluating the Safety and Outcomes of Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy in Elderly Patients Presenting With Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

AIMS

In the absence of evidence-based guidelines regarding the safety and appropriateness of emergency endoscopy in elderly, co-morbid and frail patients, we aimed to find clinical outcomes in elderly patients who have undergone gastroscopy following an acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB).

METHODS

We carried out a retrospective observational study of patients aged 70 years and older who had undergone emergency oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, United Kingdom, between May 2020 and January 2022. Data collected for analysis included Glasgow-Blatchford score, age, gender, endoscopic findings, endoscopic treatments, immediate complications, 90-day complications, 30-day and 90-day survival, length of hospital stay and re-bleeding.

RESULTS

A total of 248 study participants were categorised into two groups: age 70-79 years (n=102) and ≥80 years (n=146). Melaena (n=226, 91%, p=0.0001) was the commonest indication for emergency OGD in both groups, with the majority of patients presenting with a Glasgow-Blatchford score of ≥1 (n=200, 80.6%, p=0.2). Endoscopy findings were normal in 26.4% (n=27) of those 70-79 years and 32% (n=47) of those ≥80 years (p=0.01). Duodenal ulcer, oesophagitis and gastric ulcer were the commonest abnormal findings (n=50, 20%; n=29, 11.7%; and n=28, 11.3%, respectively). Of the participants, 93.8% (n=212) had no immediate complications. Bleeding and hypotension occurred in 2.7% (n=6) and 2% (n=5) of patients, respectively. At 90 days post-procedure, 83.3% (n=85) of those 70-79 years and 67.8% (n=99) of those ≥80 years had survived (p=0.180).

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that OGD is largely a safe procedure in older adults with acute UGIB; however, the high proportion of OGDs with normal findings reinforces the importance of careful selection of patients.

Prospective observational study on clinical and epidemiological profile of adult patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected upper gastrointestinal bleed

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract is one of the common medical emergencies. In this study, we assessed patients' socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and the association of clinical characteristics with treatment outcomes among patients with suspected upper gastrointestinal bleed (UGIB) presenting to the emergency department (ED). At present, there is a scarcity of data on UGIB in Northern part of India.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The study was a single-center, prospective observational study conducted at an urban tertiary care center. Consecutive patients with suspected UGIB were enrolled in the study from August 2020 to February 2022. A detailed history was obtained, including demographic data such as age and sex, presenting complaints, history of presenting illness, history related to co-morbidities, addiction, and drug history. Pre-endoscopic Rockall and Glasgow-Blatchford Score were calculated for each patient. The patients were subsequently followed up till discharge from the hospital. The final outcomes with regard to mortality, need for blood transfusion, length of emergency department stay, and discharge were noted.

RESULT

141 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients with suspected UGIB was 48 ± 14 years. 115 (81.6%) patients were male. The most common co-morbidity was chronic liver disease (40;28.4%). The most frequent presenting complaint in this study was hematemesis (96; 68.1%), followed by melena (76;53.9%). The mean (Standard Deviation, SD) of the Rockall Score was 2.46 ± 1.75. The mean (SD) of the Glasgow Blatchford Score was 12.46 ± 3.15 in patients with UGIB.

CONCLUSION

In our study, hematemesis was the most prevalent symptom of suspected UGIB, followed by melena. Portal hypertension was the most common cause of UGIB. Most frequent comorbidities in patients suspected of UGIB were alcohol intake, Nonsteriodal Antiinflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) abuse, and co-morbidities such as underlying chronic liver disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Early endoscopy can be of great utility to reduce morbidity and mortality.

The Clinical and Endoscopic Profiles of Patients With Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding (UGIB) and the Role of the Rockall Scoring System in Predicting Adverse Outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is one of the common emergencies seen by physicians. Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopy remains a crucial tool in the identification of UGIB.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical and endoscopic profiles of UGIB in an adult population.

METHODS

This prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana, where 75 patients aged 18 years and above admitted to the hospital with a history of UGIB from July 1 to December 31, 2018, were enrolled in the study. After obtaining the demographic data, all patients underwent clinical examination, laboratory investigations, and video endoscopy. The Rockall scoring system was used to assess their prognosis.

RESULTS

The mean age of the study population was 52.19±6.65 years. The majority (33%) were in the age group of 51-60 years. Of the study population, 82.7% were male and 17.3% were female. Chronic alcohol intake was found to be the most common risk factor, followed by drug intake. On upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, esophageal varices (65.3%) were the most common finding, followed by peptic ulcer disease (25.2%), gastric erosions (2.6%), gastroduodenitis (1.3%), Mallory-Weiss tear (1.3%), carcinoma stomach (1.3%), Camron's lesion (1.3%), and Dieulafoy's lesion (1.3%). Mortality attributed to UGIB was found to be 8%.

CONCLUSION

The present study reported portal hypertension as the most common cause of UGIB, while the most common endoscopic lesions reported were esophageal varices. The factors associated with poor prognosis were age >60 years, shock, respiratory failure, low hemoglobin, low platelet count, deranged international normalized ratio (INR), variceal bleed, renal failure, rebleed, Rockall score ≥ 8, and late endoscopy (>24 hours of admission). Urgent appropriate hospital management definitely helps to reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with UGIB.

Upper and Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Retrospective Study on 10 Years Experiences in Southeastern Iran

Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is an emergency medical situation that is very common, although often benign but can cause considerable morbidity and mortality and health care costs. The aim of this study was to analyze the endoscopic evaluation of upper GIB (UGIB) and lower GIB (LGIB) in Sistan and Balouchestan, southeast Iran. Methods: Data from patients with GIB in a referral university-affiliated hospital in Zahedan, Southeastern Iran during a 10-year period, were obtained. A total of 21884 reports of adult patients' endoscopy and colonoscopy from 2011 to 2020 who were admitted to Ali-Ibn-Abitaleb hospital were studied of which 5862 reports were related to GIB. Incomplete files were excluded. Information on age, sex, and endoscopic diagnosis of the 5053 reports was analyzed and compared using chi-square statistical test. Results: There were 3310 men (65.6%) and 1743 women (34.4%) with a mean (±SD) of age 48.4 (±19.83) years. 3079 patients had UGIB (60.8%) and 1974 patients had LGIB (39.2%). Peptic ulcer (72.8% duodenal ulcer and 27.2% gastric ulcer) was seen as the main reason for UGIB (29.7%) and hemorrhoids were the main reason for LGIB (44.2%). Mallory-Weiss syndrome was significantly common in the age<40 years old, and the incidence rate of malignancy was significantly higher in those aged>40 years old than in the younger age group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Peptic ulcer was the most common etiological factor and it was more common in men than in women. Gastroesophageal varices were the second most common cause of UGIB. Hemorrhoids and anal fissures were observed as the most common colonoscopic findings of LGIB. The prevalences of UGIB and LGIB are more common in men than women and increase with age. It is important for physicians to constantly update their information about the spectrum of diseases in their region and their changing over time to provide accurate diagnosis and management timely.

A Comparative Analysis of Risk Scoring Systems in Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Upper Gastrointestinal Bleed

Background

Upper gastrointestinal bleed (UGIB) is a life-threatening condition that presents as hematemesis (fresh blood), coffee-ground vomiting, or melena. Multiple scoring systems are developed to predict different clinical outcomes, which are important to managing UGIB and are essential to determining low and high-risk patients. The study aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of risk scoring systems and their optimum cut-off values in the assessment of UGIB.

Methods

The prospective cross-sectional study included patients (N = 81) with acute UGIB. Four different proposed scores [Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS), AIMS65, pre-endoscopic Rockall, and full Rockall scoring system] were used for evaluating patients with UGIB. The optimum cut-off values of these risk scores were used to predict the clinical outcomes.

Results

The AIMS65 score [Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUROC): 0.91, cut-off: >1, sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 76.62%] and pre-Rockall were similar (AUROC: 0.91, cut-off: >0, sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 93.51%) at predicting mortality. The GBS (cut-off: >9, AUROC: 0.79, sensitivity: 69.23, specificity: 87.50) and AIMS65 scores (cut-off: >0, AUROC: 0.67, sensitivity: 72.31, specificity: 62.5) were good predictors of need for ICU care.

Conclusion

GBS was superior in predicting categorization into high risk and low risk, and endoscopic intervention, blood transfusion, and intensive care unit (ICU) care in UGIB patients. Pre-Rockall score and AIMS65 score were similar in predicting the mortality rate in UGIB.

Iatrogenic injury of duodenum: malady of a therapeutic misadventure

Endoscopic procedures are the front-runner of the management of bleeding duodenal ulcer. Rarely, surgical intervention is sought for acute bleeding, not amenable to endoscopic procedures. Oversewing of the gastroduodenal artery at ulcer crater by transduodenal approach is the most acceptable and recommended method of treatment. We describe a case of an intraoperative duodenal injury that occurred during an attempt to oversew the gastroduodenal artery after a duodenotomy, leading to an unsatisfactory and meagre duodenal stump. This case will highlight the intraoperative turmoil, postoperative complications and management of a series of anticipated but unfortunate events that have rendered us wiser in terms of surgical management of a bleeding duodenal ulcer.

A prospective cohort study of patients presenting to the emergency department with upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Background

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding is a common presentation to the Emergency Department (ED), and is associated with re-bleeding and significant mortality. Although several studies have described etiology and outcome of UGI bleeding, few have been done in the EDs.

Materials and Methods

This prospective observational cohort study included all patients presenting with hematemesis or melena, between June 2016 and January 2017 to the ED. Demographic data, risk factors, endoscopy findings and prognosticating scores were noted. Patients were followed up through telephonic communication after 3 months to assess re-bleeding rate and mortality.

Results

The study cohort included 210 patients with a male predominance (76.2%). The mean (SD) age was 51 (16.8) years. They presented with either hematemesis (33.8%), melena (28.6%), or both (37.6%). One third (35.7%) had variceal bleed, 21% had peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and 43.3%bled due to other etiology. UGI scopy was performed in 85.2% of patients with banding (25.1%) and sclerotherapy (14%) being the most frequently performed procedures. Endoscopic intervention was not required in 58.6%of patients. Packed red cells were transfused in 46.7% patients. The 48-h re-bleed rate among variceal bleeders was 5.3% and 11.4% among peptic ulcer bleeders. The 3-month re-bleeding rate was 42.9% and the 3-month mortality rate was 17.5% among the variceal bleeders and the same was 5.6% and 2.8%, respectively, among the peptic ulcer bleeders. The overall mortality was 12.4%.

Conclusions

Variceal bleeding and PUD were the predominant causes of UGI bleeding. Overall, a quarter of our patients had a re-bleed within 3 months, with majority being variceal bleeds.

Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Hexagenerians or Older (≥60 Years) Versus Younger (<60 Years) Patients: Clinico-Endoscopic Profile and Outcome

Background and aims

Acute upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding is one of the serious and potentially life-threatening medical emergencies, causing significant mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate the clinico-endoscopic profile and outcome among patients aged <60 years who presented for UGI bleeding compared to those aged ≥60 years.

Methods

This prospective observational study was conducted among 194 patients who presented with symptoms or signs of UGI bleed. All patients were divided into two groups, group A (age <60 years), and group B (age ≥60 years). UGI endoscopy was performed using Olympus N19 Endoscope. Rockall scoring (RS) system and Glasgow Blatchford score (GBS) were used to predict the prognosis and re-bleeding.

Results

Of the total, group A included 150 (77.31%) patients and group B 44 (22.69%) patients. The most common presentation was hematemesis and melena in both groups, whilst isolated hematochezia was more common in group A (6.67%, vs. 2.27%, p>0.05). The main cause of bleeding was a variceal bleed in both groups, but it was significantly higher in group A patients (p<0.05). Elderly patients had a significantly higher number of peptic ulcer and malignancy-related bleed (p<0.05). Group A patients had a significantly higher proportion of patients with tachycardia (45.33%, vs. 27.27%, p<0.05), shock (43.33% vs. 13.63%, p<0.05), pallor (76.66% vs. 56.81%, p<0.05), and blood transfusion requirement (64% vs. 45.45%, p<0.05) as compared to group B. Thirty days re-bleeding and mortality rate were similar in both the groups. RS in both groups was 5.02±2.12 vs. 5.98±1.91, p>0.05. GBS was 11.65±4.61 vs. 10.68±4.65, p>0.05. Mortality was significantly higher in patients with RS ≥6 and GBS ≥10.

Conclusion

This study concluded variceal bleeding as a predominant cause of UGI bleed in both age groups, and it was significantly higher in younger. Interestingly, younger patients were more hemodynamically unstable, probably due to the presence of more severe anemia, shock, and hematochezia. The presence of multiple co-morbidities in both the group kept the 30 days mortality and re-bleed rates similar.

Causes of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Among Pilgrims During the Hajj Period in the Islamic Years 1437-1439 (2016-2018)

Background

Approximately 3.5 million pilgrims perform Hajj every year. Planning for their healthcare requires knowledge of the pattern of diseases and risk factors of pilgrims who require hospitalization during the Hajj period. The aim of the current study was to evaluate common causes and risk factors of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) among pilgrims during the Hajj season.

Method

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study using a data collection checklist to collect data from medical records. We included all patients who had UGIB and attended the endoscopy department of the King Abdulaziz Hospital, Mecca, in the AL-Hajj season of the Islamic years 1437-1439 (2016-2018).

Results

A total of 93 patients were included in the current study; of those, 65.59% were males. The mean age of the patients was 63.37 ± 12.83 years, and about one-third (29.03%) of them were Indonesian. Overall, melena with or without anemia was the most common presentation (44.09%), followed by hematemesis (34.78%), melena with hematemesis (15.05%), hematemesis with ascites (9.68%), and abdominal/epigastric pain (3.23%). The most common cause of UGIB was the presence of gastric origin (erosive gastritis/gastric ulcer/gastric tumor) with 22.58% of the patients presenting with the same. The most common factors were medications, especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (37.63%) and blood thinners (22.58%). Hypertension (31.18%), diabetes mellitus (DM) (29.03%), and chronic liver disease/failure (27.96%) were the most common chronic conditions in the studied population.

Conclusion

Medical orientation towards high-risk pilgrims prone to developing UGIB who intend to travel may help reduce the risk of developing the condition, by taking proper measurements of those groups by the medical teams, especially in those with preventable factors.

Comparison of various prognostic scores in variceal and non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Various prognostic scores like Glasgow-Blatchford bleeding score (GBS), modified Glasgow-Blatchford bleeding score (mGBS), full Rockall score (FRS) including endoscopic findings, clinical Rockall score (CRS), and albumin, international normalized ratio (INR), mental status, systolic blood pressure, age >65 (AIMS65) are used for risk stratification in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). The utility of these scores in variceal UGIB (VUGIB) is not well defined. In this prospective study, we aimed to assess the performance of these scores in patients with non-variceal (NVUGIB) and VUGIB.

METHODS

We included 1011 patients (during March 2017 and August 2018) including 439 with NVUGIB and 572 VUGIB. Performance of GBS, mGBS, FRS, CRS, and AIMS65 for various outcome measures was analyzed using the area under receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC).

RESULTS

The accuracy of prognostic scores in predicting the composite outcome including the need of hospital-based intervention and 42-day mortality was higher in NVUGIB as compared with VUGIB, AUROC: CRS: 0.641 vs. 0.537; FRS: 0.669 vs. 0.625; GBS: 0.719 vs. 0.587; mGBS: 0.711 vs. 0.594; AIMS65: 0.567 vs. 0.548. GBS and mGBS at a cut-off score of 1 had the highest negative predictive value, 91.7% and 91.3%, respectively, for predicting composite outcome in NVUGIB. Similarly, these scores had better accuracy for predicting 42-day rebleeding in NVUGIB as compared to VUGIB, AUROC: CRS: 0.680 vs. 0.537; FRS: 0.698 vs. 0.565; GBS: 0.661 vs. 0.543; mGBS: 0.627 vs. 0.540; AIMS65: 0.695 vs. 0.606.

CONCLUSION

The prognostic scores such as CRS, FRS, GBS, mGBS, and AIMS65 predict the need for hospital-based management, rebleeding, and mortality better among patients with NVUGIB than VUGIB.