RT Book, Section
A1 Price, Timothy G.
A1 Armstrong, Zachary E.
A2 Stone, C. Keith
A2 Humphries, Roger L.
SR Print(0)
ID 55748869
T1 Chapter 16. Gastrointestinal Bleeding
T2 CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment Emergency Medicine, 7e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-0-07-170107-5
LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=55748869
RD 2024/04/19
AB For  the  majority  of  patients  presenting  with  gastrointestinal  (GI)  bleeding,  hematemesis,  hematochezia,  or  melena  will  be  the  chief  complaint.  Occasionally,  patients  may  present  with  only  dizziness,  weakness,  or  syncope.  If  no  obvious  cause  of  shock  is  present,  gastric  lavage  and  a  rectal  examination  should  be  performed  promptly  as  part  of  the  initial  assessment.  The  severity  of  blood  loss  must  be  assessed  quickly  so  that  lifesaving  therapeutic  interventions  can  be  instituted.  Factors  that  increase  the  morbidity  and  mortality  are  hemodynamic  instability,  ongoing  symptoms,  inability  to  clear  bleeding  with  lavage,  age  over  60,  and  other  comorbidities.