Upper gastrointestinal bleeding resident survival guide
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Twinkle Singh, M.B.B.S. [2]
Definition
This section provides a short and straight to the point definition of the disease or symptom in one sentence.
Causes
Life Threatening Causes
Life-threatening causes include conditions which may result in death or permanent disability within 24 hours if left untreated.
Common Causes
Management
Shown below is an algorithm summarizing the approach to [[disease name]].
Characterize the symptoms: ❑ Blood in vomiting ❑ Coffee ground emesis ❑ Black, tarry stools ❑ Frank blood in stools ❑ Maroon colored stool ❑ Abdominal pain ❑ Altered mental status ❑ Dizziness ❑ Palpitations ❑ Cold extremities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Physical examination ❑ Abdominal tenderness ❑ Involuntary guarding ❑ Heart rate (tachycardia suggests blood loss) ❑ Orthostatic blood pressure changes (hypotension suggests massive blood loss) ❑ Rectal exam to assess stool color ❑ Guaiac test | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order tests ❑ Blood type and cross-match ❑ Hemoglobin concentration ❑ Platelet count ❑ Prothrombin time and INR ❑ Liver enzymes ❑ BUN ❑ Creatinine | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Initial assessment ❑ Ensure normal breathing and clear airway Initial resuscitative measures ❑ Nil per oral ❑ 2 large bore IV lines ❑ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||