This is defined as a bleeding source proximal to the Ligament of Treitz, also known as the suspensory muscle of duodenum, the landmark that separates the duodenum & jejunum
3/ Back to PUD, there are actually many well established causes and some associated factors related to its development, the most important being:
💊 Drugs - NSAIDs/aspirin, direct chemical/erosive agents etc
🦠 Bugs - H. pylori
♋ Thugs (if I may) - Neoplasm
4/
So what does a patient with UGIB present with?
Listed are some of the commonest presenting symptoms and signs
☕ Isolated coffee ground vomiting is seldom due to UGIB... It could anything... Be wary of IO, sepsis, inferior MIs etc
⚠️ Syncope could be very serious bleeding
5/ Syncope or fainting, is such a bad presenting symptom it's included in one of the risk stratification scores known as the Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS)
Scoring 0⃣ means a low risk of complications and these patients may not need to be admitted
6/ A thorough history taking and physical examination is essential:
🧠 mental status
🚫 acute abdomen (ie shouldn't scope and need imaging/surgeon input)
💊 antiplatelets, anticoagulant use
7/ Many things to do before putting a scope in!
⚠️🔤 of resuscitation! Very important
+
DAVID
Diet
Activities
Vitals
Investigations
Drugs: ✅ stuff we give; ❌ stuff we stop
Scoping/Surgery (last but not least!)
⛔ contraindicated in perforation, intestinal obstruction
8/ Besides blood taking, 🔬 Ix we routinely request include:
- erect CXR (any free gas, weird funny mediastinal gas)
- ECG (acute coronary syndrome)
&
- #covid19 in this day and age
9/ Restrictive transfusion with a Hb >= 7 g/dL is likely sufficient for most hemodynamically stable patients
Subgroup showed that this was better for Child's A/B (postulated that ⬆️splanchnic pressure ➡️ rebleeding, fluid overload, other transfusion Cx)
10/ A meta-analysis (MA) also favoured a restrictive transfusion strategy:
⬇️ Mortality & re-bleeding
↔️ No difference in ischemic events
✅ Transfuse to maintain circulation
❌ Aggressive over-transfusion
11/ In REALITY, more evidence is emerging that a restrictive strategy may also be non-inferior for pts at risk for ischemic events, in this case acute myocardial infarction + anemia and 30 day MACE (though the CIs may have included what may be a clinically important harm)
12/ ❌ Drugs to stop i.e. DAPTs, anticoagulants
Always ⚖️ risks (of thromboembolism) and benefits (easier hemostasis)
Wt is the role of pre-endoscopy prokinetics?
- A MA in @GIE_Journal showed that erythromycin or metoclopromide given immediately before OGD/EGD ⬇️ the need for repeat endoscopy but not other parameters
18/ Moving on to endoscopy, the timing of procedure has been debated for quite a while
A UK audit across 20 centres the median time to endoscopy was 21.2 h (IQR 12-35.7) with early endoscopy (<24 h achieved in ~60% of cases) but is pushing it earlier better?
19/ Another RCT by Prof Lau > 500 pts with overt UGIB and a GBS of >= 12 were randomised to urgent (<6h) or early (6-24h) showing that urgent scoping was not ass with ⬇️30day mortality
⚠️Excluded pts who did not stabilize with resuscitation, small no. of variceal bleeds
20/ So we finally arrive to the point where we put a scope in
The rebleeding rates (w/o therapy) are tabulated here
21/ Anything above IIa should be treated
We should try removing the clot in IIb and see what it becomes
In a MA, dual endoscopic therapy has largely superceded adrenaline injections alone
22/ So what's the role of PPI after endoscopy?
2 RCTs again led by my mentors @CUHKMedicine showed that 72h of PPIs afterwards
⬇️Rebleeding
⬇️Need of Surgery
But didnt show a sig difference for reducing mortality
23/ What happens if UGIB recurs?
- repeat endoscopy
- newer modalities
- TAE
- Surgery
24/ Excellent reading materials for further interest
25/ To conclude:
- risk stratification
- Mx: ABC and DAVIDS
- restrictive transfusion unless hemodynamically unstable, ischemic events
- ❌endoscopy if perforation, IO
- tx pre, during and post endoscopy
- balance risk and benefits on resumption of antiplatelets/anticoagulants
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A reminder on physiology: this class of drug acts on the gastric parietal cells by irreversibly blocking the hydrogen/potassium adenosine triphosphatase enzyme system (the H+/K+ ATPase, aka the gastric proton pump), hence the elegant name
Let's start with a poll followed by a #tweetorial on direct oral anticoagulants. First things first, which is your go-to choice of #DOAC ? (COI: none):
2/ These agents work "directly" to anti-coagulate and since they are hardly "new' anymore the term #NOAC has become obsolete. Dabigatran is a direct thrombin inhibitor (factor IIa), whereas the others are factor Xa inhibitors (note the Xa in their names)
3/ In general they share many characteristics such as a quick onset of action, shorter half-lives, potential for drug-drug interactions (CYP3A4 & P-gp) and renal elimination (except apixaban) when compared with warfarin
1/
Sharing of measures observed at my institution in #HongKong currently in place for #COVID19 and some personal practice I have adopted, not exhaustive:
2/ Departmental 1. Cut all elective cases (only GI bleeds, cholangitis, OJ left; cancer cases reviewed case-by-case) 2. FTOCC +ve should be deferred if possible 3. Full PPE (hair net, face shield/goggles, N95, gowns, gloves etc) as appropriate per local guidance
3/ 4. Extended use of N95, but not reuse (changing is protecting patients more than healthcare staff; if you take it off you shouldn't put the same one back on) 5. Scopes done by senior/independent endoscopists; no more training to reduce staff risk exposure and preserve PPE