RT Book, Section
A1 Balakrishnan, Anita
A1 Tavakkoli, Ali
A1 Ashley, Stanley W.
A2 Zinner, Michael J.
A2 Ashley, Stanley W.
SR Print(0)
ID 57007789
T1 Chapter 11. Gastrointestinal Bleeding
T2 Maingot's Abdominal Operations, 12e
YR 2013
FD 2013
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-163388-8
LK accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57007789
RD 2024/09/13
AB Acute  gastrointestinal  (GI)  hemorrhage  is  a  significant  cause  of  morbidity  and  mortality  in  the  emergency  setting.  The  source  of  GI  bleeding  can  range  from  the  esophagus  through  to  the  colon  and  is  classified  into  upper  or  lower  GI  bleeding  depending  on  the  site  of  bleeding  relative  to  the  ligament  of  Treitz.  Upper  GI  hemorrhage  occurs  from  sites  proximal  to  the  ligament  of  Treitz  frequently  due  to  peptic  ulcer  disease  and  variceal  hemorrhage  and  accounts  for  more  than  80%  of  acute  bleeding.1  The  majority  of  lower  GI  bleeding  originates  from  the  colon  from  pathologies  such  as  diverticular  disease  and  angiodysplasias.  The  small  intestine  is  the  site  of  hemorrhage  in  fewer  than  5%  of  patients.1  Hemorrhage  persisting  or  recurring  after  negative  endoscopy  is  termed  obscure  bleeding.  Occasionally  patients  present  with  occult  bleeding,  where  there  are  no  signs  of  overt  bleeding,  but  the  presenting  symptoms  are  due  to  chronic  blood  loss  and  anemia.  In  all  cases,  thorough  investigation  to  localize  the  source  of  bleeding  allows  rapid  and  often  definitive  management.