Impact of Early Operation on the Mortality from Bleeding Peptic Ulcer – Ten Years’ Experience

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In 1984, a risk-dependent combined endoscopic and operative approach for the treatment of bleeding peptic ulcer was developed. This treatment policy has as its major feature an early elective operation in patients with arterial bleeding and a visible vessel, providing that endoscopic control of the bleeding could be achieved. Using this concept in a prospective series resulted in a mortality of 5% compared to a mortality of 14% in a historical control group, where an operation was performed only on demand in case of recurrent bleeding. In 1986, the treatment policy was introduced into clinical routine circumstances at the University Hospital of Düsseldorf. In this paper the results of routine clinical application are presented. The treatment policy was followed in 47% of patients treated respectively primarily transferred to the surgical department. Mortality in arterial bleeding and visible vessel in the conservatively treated group was double the mortality in the early elective operated group (14 vs. 7%). The mortality in patients treated primarily in the department of internal medicine was double the mortality of patients treated at the surgical department (18 vs. 9%). The differences in mortality are mainly due to the procedure in the elderly patients. In patients aged 70 years or more, the mortality rate of patients treated in internal medicine was 31% compared to 16% in the surgery department. Younger patients do not seem to benefit from early elective operation. Our study clearly demonstrates the importance of avoiding late recurrent bleeding. Patients at high risk of this complication should therefore be identified as early as possible and early surgical intervention should be considered by agreed interdisciplinary and evaluated treatment concepts.