GI bleeding Flashcards
what is the most common GI emergency
GI bleeding
what is the incidence of GI bleeding
incidec of 50-200 per 100,000
where is the highest incidence for GI bleeding
in low socio-economic areas
How much does GI bleeding cost the NHS a year
168 million a year
who is the mortality of GI bleeding increased in
- elderly
- co-morbidity
- anticoagulation drugs
What is the definition of upper GI bleed
- bleeding proximal to the ligament of treitz
What is the definition of lower GI bleeding
- bleeding distal to the ligament of treitz
What do upper GI patients present with
- haematemesis - vomiting - fresh/altered blood
- malaena - black tarry stool
- hematochezia - fresh or altered blood passing rapidly PR - large upper GI bleed
What is malaena
- black tarry stools and has a characteristic smell of altered blood
What is haematochezia and what it is a sign of
- fresh or altered blood passing rapidly PR
- sign of large upper GI bleed
What are the symptoms of lower GI bleed
- malaena
- haematochezia
What is the commonest cause of GI bleeding upper or lower
Upper GI bleeding - accounts for 70%
What is the commonest cause of upper GI bleeding
- Peptic ulcer disease
What are the causes of upper GI bleeding
- Peptic ulcer disease 35-50%
- oesophageal varices 5-10%
- mallory-weiss tear 15%
- oesophagitis
- gastritis/ gastric erosions 8-15%
- Drugs - NSIADS, aspirin, steroids, thrombolytics, anticoagulants
- erosive duodenitis
- portal hypertensive gastropathy
- Upper GI malignancy
- vascular malformation
- can be no cause
What are the causes of lower GI bleeding
- diverticular disease
- haemorrhoids
- mesenteric ischaemia
- coliits
- cancer
- rectal ulcers
- angiodysplasia
- radiation
- drugs
- others
what can cause or are risk factors of peptic ulcer disease
- helicobacter pylori
- NSAIDs
- smoking
- alcohol
what are the symptoms of peptic ulcer disease
- epigastric pain
- nausea
- early satiety - can block the stomach
What are the complications of peptic ulcer disease
- bleeding
- perforation
What are the causes of peptic inflammation
- GORD
- helicobacter pylori
- NSAIDs
- smoking
- alcohol
- obesity
what are varices
- submucosal venous dilation due to increases in portal pressures
What is the causes of portal hypertension leading to gastro-oesophageal varicose
- Pre-hepatic – thrombosis (portal or splenic vein)
- Intra-hepatic – cirrhosis (80% in UK), schistosomiasis (most common worldwide), sarcoid, myeloproliferative diseases, congenital hepatic fibrosis
- Post-hepatic – Budd-Chiari syndrome, right HF, constrictive pericarditis, veno-occlusive disease
what is the most common cause of lower GI bleeding
- diverticular bleed
what is the cause of diverticular bleeding
- straining/constipation
- muscle spasm
- low dietary fibre
- genetics
What are the causes of haemorrhoids
- straining to have a bowel movement
- sitting for long periods of time
- chronic constipation or diarrhoea
- being overweight or obese
- pregnancy
What are the risk factors for polyps
- age over 50 years old
- overweight
- smoker
- polyposis syndrome
- family history of polyps
What can cause colitis
- IBD - either ulcerative colitis or crohns
- ischaemic
- infective
- drug induced
What arteries and where is the ischaemia usually in the bowel
Between superior mesenteric artery and inferior mesenteric artery
How do you manage the patient with an upper GI bleed
- history and examination
- initial assessment and management
- how and when to refer for endoscopy
- therapy at endoscopy
- post OGD management
- discharge and follow up
Why is it important to differentiate between haematemesis and melaena
- helps you to idetify where the bleeding is coming from and what the cause must be
what are the systemic symptoms of blood loss
- dizziness
- palpitations
- chest pain and shortness of breath
In an Upper GI bleed what is in the history
Ask about
- Past GI bleeds
- dyspepsia/known ulcers
- known liver disease or oesophageal varicose
- dysphagia
- vomiting
- weight loss
- check drug and alcohol use
- check comorbidity - CVD, respiratory disease, hepatic or renal impairment, malignancy
Look for signs
- chronic liver disease
- DRE to check for melaena
Is the patient shock
Calculated Rockall score
how do you assess the patient
A - need airway protection or intubation - required in variceal bleeding
B
- need RR and saturations, need oxygen therapy
C
- IV access, IV fluid, blood products
- monitor HR/BP
- more investigations
D
- ACVPU - assess conscious level
E
- abdominal pain
- signs of chronic liver disease
- rectal examination
How do you do fluid resuscitation on a patient
- Poiseuilles law of flow - flow is proportional to the diameter and length
- therefore for maximum flow you want a short and wide tube
- for GI bleed - you want 2 wide bore cannulae in large veins
- 14G to the 18G are widest of the cannulae veins and shortest
describe the different classes of shock and the symptoms of them
Class 1: 10-15% loss (750mls)
- physiological compensation/no clinical signs
Class 2: 15-30% loss (1.5L)
- postural hypotension
- generalised vasoconstriction
Class 3; 30-40% loss (2L)
- hypotension
- tachycardia over 120
- tachypnoea
Class 4: greater than 40% loss (3L)
- marked hypotension, tachycardia and tachypnoea and comatose