Role of surgery and endoscopy in patients with acute massive gastro-duodenal bleeding (collaboration not competition!)

Background: Morbidity and mortality of patients underwent urgent surgical intervention due to massive gastro-duodenal bleeding remain unchanged during the last decades. Urgent gastroscopy may be indicated for diagnostic reason to identify those patients for whom the immediate surgical intervention is the method of choice. Moreover it may also be indicated for therapeutic reason (haemostasis) to avoid surgery in high risk patients. Patients and methods: Between 01/01/2000–31/12/2004 altogether 808 patients with suspicion of acute gastro-duodenal blood loss had urgent endoscopy in the lst Department of Medicine. D…