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Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding

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Abstract

Acute gastrointestinal bleeding is a common problem managed by the acute care surgeon. A structured approach to evaluation, management, and treatment is recommended. Resuscitation is the first and most important step, followed by identification of the bleeding site. History and physical exam can help determine the severity and any potential sources of the bleed. Any medical management is based on the etiology of the GI bleed. Typically, an upper gastrointestinal bleeding source can be diagnosed and treated with upper endoscopy. Endoscopic, angiographic, and surgical techniques are used to manage lower gastrointestinal bleeding and determine the source of bleeding and treatment. Specific algorithms are based on location and severity of the bleeding and recurrence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Luis R. Taveras, Holly B. Weis, Joshua J. Weis & Sara A. Hennessy

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  1. Luis R. Taveras
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  2. Holly B. Weis
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  3. Joshua J. Weis
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  4. Sara A. Hennessy
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Correspondence to Sara A. Hennessy .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    David Renton

  2. Tripler Army Medical Center Surgery, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Robert Lim

  3. Baptist Health Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Alberto S. Gallo

  4. NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA

    Prashant Sinha

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Taveras, L.R., Weis, H.B., Weis, J.J., Hennessy, S.A. (2020). Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding. In: Renton, D., Lim, R., Gallo, A., Sinha, P. (eds) The SAGES Manual of Acute Care Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21959-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21959-8_7

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