RESUMO
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The precise rebleeding rate and risk factors of rebleeding after heat probe thermocoagulation in peptic ulcer patients with bleeding are not clear and still need to be evaluated. If we could identify the pre-dictors for rebleeding, the mortality rate might be loweted with early retreatment or surgery in these high risk group. METHODS: The 94 patients in whom heat probe was applied were enrolled and the 18 patients with bleeding tendencies. Initial hemostasis was defined as hemostasis persisting for 24 hours post-treatment and permanent hemostasis as absence of bleeding for 7 days after therapy. Rebleedig was defined as oozing or spurting hemorrhage in the ulcer base and/or unstable vital signs and continuting tarry or bloody stool or hematemesis after therapy. RESULTS: In 35 patients with active bleeding sign, initial hemostasis was obtained in 30 (85.7%) patients. After having achieved initial hemostasis, 9 (30.0%) patients rebled. In 41 ulcer patients with non-bleeding visible vessel, 40 cases (97.6%) achieved successful pre-vention of rebleeding. No evident complication was observed. With univariate analysis, bleeding ulcer patients with spurting and oozing hemorrhage had a higher re-bleeding rate than those with non-bleeding visible vessel. CONCLUSIONS: The heat probe thermocoagulaton is relative safe and effective procedure to protect bleeding in pectic ulcer patients with non-bleeding visible vessel, but insufficient to hemostasis in bleeding peptic ulcer patients with spurting or oozing in ulcer base. Spurting and oozing hemorrhage are the only risk factors of rebleeding after initial hemostasis with heat probe thermocoagulation in peptic ulcer patients with bleeding.