Risk factors and management of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with or without antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy: a multicenter real-world prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Antiplatelet and anticoagulation drugs complicate acute gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) patients. Limited data about the risk factors and patient management has been presented. This study explored the association between previous antiplatelet or anticoagulant drug usage and clinical outcomes in GIB patients to improve awareness further and optimize treatment. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, non-interventional, real-world prospective study in 106 hospitals in 23 provinces in China. GIB patients confirmed in the emergency department were included and were grouped according to previous drug histories. Univariate analysis, multivariate logistic regression, and multivariate stratification models were performed separately to investigate the associations. RESULTS: A total of 2299 patients (57.23 ± 17.21 years old, 68.3% male) were included, of whom 20.1% and 2.9% received antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy, respectively. The all-cause 28-day mortality rates in patients without antiplatelet or anticoagulants, patients undergoing antiplatelet treatment, and patients with anticoagulation therapy were 2.8%, 4.6%, and 10.5%, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, both antiplatelet [odd ratio (OR), 2.92; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.48-5.76; p = 0.002] and anticoagulation therapy (OR, 8.87; 95% CI, 3.02-26.02; p < 0.001) were associated with higher 28-day mortality. In the subgroup analysis, blood transfusion, especially red blood cell transfusion, in patients undergoing antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy was associated with a decreased death risk. CONCLUSION: We confirmed an association between concurrent antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy in GIB patients and elevated 28-day mortality. Blood transfusions could improve poor outcomes in such patients.

Early nutrition is safe and does not increase complications after upper gastrointestinal bleeding-a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Despite a lack of evidence, patients are often not fed for 48-96 h after upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB); however, many trials have demonstrated the benefits of early nutrition (EN). We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RTCs) to evaluate the outcomes of EN compared to delayed nutrition (DN) after UGIB. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022372306). PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched on the 27th of April 2024 to identify eligible RCTs. The primary outcomes were early (within 7 days) and late (within 30-42 days) mortality and rebleeding. Pooled risk ratios (RR), mean differences (MD), and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. A total of 10 trials with 1051 patients were included in the analysis. Early mortality was not significantly different between the two groups (RR 1.20, CI 0.85-1.71, I2 = 0%), whereas late mortality was reduced to a clinically relevant extent in the EN group (RR 0.61, CI 0.35-1.06, I2 = 0%). When comparing the two groups, we found no significant difference in terms of early and late rebleeding (RR 1.04, CI 0.66-1.63, I2 = 0% and RR 1.16, CI 0.63-2.13, I2 = 0%, respectively). Our analysis also showed that the length of hospital stay was reduced in the EN group compared to the DN group (MD -1.22 days, CI: -2.43 to -0.01, I2 = 94%). In conclusion, compared with DN, EN (within 24 h) appears to be a safe intervention and could reduce the length of hospital stay without increasing the risk of complications after UGIB.

Proton pump inhibitor therapy after transcatheter angiography in refractory nonvariceal acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding patients: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter angiography (TA) could help to diagnose and treat refractory nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB). Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the key medication for reducing the rebleeding rate and mortality and are usually continued after TA. It is unknown whether high-dose PPIs after TA are more effective than the standard regimen. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from patients who received TA because of refractory NVUGIB from 2010 to 2020 at West China Hospital. 244 patients were included and divided into two groups based on the first 3 days of PPIs treatment. All baseline characteristics were balanced using the inverse probability of treatment weighting method. The 30-day all-cause mortality, rebleeding rate and other outcomes were compared. The propensity score matching method was also used to verify the results. RESULTS: There were 86 patients in the high-dose group and 158 in the standard group. The average daily doses of PPI were 192.1 ± 17.9 mg and 77.8 ± 32.0 mg, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed no difference in the 30-day all-cause mortality (aHR 1.464, 95% CI 0.829 to 2.584) or rebleeding rate (aHR 1.020, 95% CI 0.693 to 1.501). There were no differences found in red blood cell transfusion, hospital stay length and further interventions, including endoscopy, repeating TA, surgery and ICU admission. The results were consistent in the subgroup analysis of patients with transcatheter arterial embolization. CONCLUSION: In refractory NVUGIB patients who received TA, regardless of whether embolization was performed, high-dose PPI treatment did not provide additional benefits compared with the standard regimen.

Comparison of scoring systems for predicting clinical outcomes of acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the performance of the Oakland, Glasgow-Blatchford, and AIMS65 scores in predicting the clinical outcomes of acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB). METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted from July 2020 to July 2021. Patients admitted with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding were enrolled. The Oakland, Glasgow-Blatchford, and AIMS65 scores were calculated. The primary outcome was validating the performance of the scores in predicting severe LGIB; secondary outcomes were comparing the performance of the scores in predicting the need for blood transfusion, hemostatic interventions, in-hospital rebleeding, and mortality. Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated for all outcomes. The associations between all three scores and the primary outcomes were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Patients with acute LGIB (n = 150) were enrolled (88 [58.7%] men and mean age: 63.6 ± 17.3 years). The rates of severe LGIB, need for blood transfusion, hemostatic intervention, in-hospital rebleeding, and in-hospital mortality were 54.7%, 79.3%, 10.7%, and 3.3%, respectively. The Oakland and Glasgow-Blatchford scores had comparable performance in predicting severe LGIB, need for blood transfusion, and mortality, outperforming the AIMS65 score. All scores were suboptimal for predicting hemostatic interventions and rebleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the predictive performances of the Oakland score and the GBS are excellent and comparable for severe LGIB, the need for blood transfusion, and in-hospital mortality in patients with acute LGIB. Thus, GBS could be considered as an alternative predictive score for stratification of the patients with acute LGIB.

Natural history of clinical outcomes and hepatic decompensation in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The natural progression of hepatic decompensation in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is not well-characterised. We aimed to describe it by conducting a retrospective analysis. METHODS: This longitudinal, retrospective analysis of well-characterised MASLD cohorts followed for hepatic decompensation and death. The sequence of liver-related events was evaluated, and the median time between hepatic decompensation episodes and death versus. transplantation was measured. RESULTS: Of the 2016 patients identified, 220 (11%) developed at least one episode of hepatic decompensation during a median follow-up of 3.2 years. Ascites was the most common first liver-related event [153 (69.5%)], followed by hepatic encephalopathy (HE) [55 (25%)] and variceal haemorrhage (VH) [30 (13.6%)]. Eighteen out of the 220 (8.1%) patients had more than one liver-related event as their first hepatic decompensation. Among the patients who had the first episode, 87 (39.5%) had a second episode [44 (50.5%) HE, 31 (35.6%) ascites, and 12 (13.7%) VH]. Eighteen out of 220 (8.1%) had a third episode [10 (55.5%) HE, 6 (33.3%) VH, and 2 (11.1%) ascites]. Seventy-three out of 220 (33.1%) died, and 31 (14%) received liver transplantation. The median time from the first episode to the second was 0.7 years and 1.3 years from the second episode to the third. The median survival time from the first episode to death or transplantation was 2.0 years. CONCLUSION: The most common first liver-related event in MASLD patients is ascites. The median survival from the first hepatic decompensation to either death or transplantation is 2 years.

Red Blood Cell Distribution Width as a Risk Factor for 30/90-Day Mortality in Patients with Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Analysis of the MIMIC-IV Database.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mortality in patients with gastrointestinal (GIB) bleeding in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: The information of the participants was obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database. The main outcome of this research was 30/90-day mortality, with ICU mortality and in-hospital mortality as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: This research included 2924 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding in total. Patients with higher RDW had considerably higher 30/90-day and in-hospital mortality rates, as well as longer hospital stays and ICU stays. According to the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 30/90-day mortality rate was remarkably higher among participants in the higher RDW group (P < 0.0001). In the adjusted multivariate Cox regression analysis, for 30-day mortality, the HR (95% CI) was 1.75 (1.37, 2.24) in comparison to Q1 in the reference group (P < 0.001). Analyses of 90-day mortality and in-hospital mortality both showed the same results. In the subgroup analysis, gender, myocardial infarction, chronic pulmonary disease, cerebrovascular disease and renal disease had no significant effect on the correlation between RDW values and mortality (all P > 0.05). The area under the ROC curve for RDW was 0.599 (95% CI 0.581-0.617) and 0.606 (95% CI 0.588-0.624) in 30/90-day ICU mortality. CONCLUSION: The current research showed that RDW could be utilized as an independent indicator of short-term mortality in critically ill GIB patients at 30 and 90 days of hospital admission.

Risk factors and predictive nomograms for bedside emergency endoscopic treatment following endotracheal intubation in cirrhotic patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding.

Data on emergency endoscopic treatment following endotracheal intubation in patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) remain limited. This retrospective study aimed to explore the efficacy and risk factors of bedside emergency endoscopic treatment following endotracheal intubation in severe EGVB patients admitted in Intensive Care Unit. A total of 165 EGVB patients were enrolled and allocated to training and validation sets in a randomly stratified manner. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors to construct nomograms for predicting the prognosis related to endoscopic hemostasis failure rate and 6-week mortality. In result, white blood cell counts (p = 0.03), Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score (p = 0.001) and comorbid shock (p = 0.005) were selected as independent clinical predictors of endoscopic hemostasis failure. High CTP score (p = 0.003) and the presence of gastric varices (p = 0.009) were related to early rebleeding after emergency endoscopic treatment. Furthermore, the 6-week mortality was significantly associated with MELD scores (p = 0.002), the presence of hepatic encephalopathy (p = 0.045) and postoperative rebleeding (p < 0.001). Finally, we developed practical nomograms to discern the risk of the emergency endoscopic hemostasis failure and 6-week mortality for EGVB patients. In conclusion, our study may help identify severe EGVB patients with higher hemostasis failure rate or 6-week mortality for earlier implementation of salvage treatments.

Nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding in COVID-19 patients: insights from the National Inpatient Sample.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study, conducted using the U.S. National Inpatient Sample (NIS), examines the outcomes and management of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) in COVID-19 patients and identifies predictive factors to enhance patient prognosis. METHODS: We analyzed the 2020 U.S. NIS data involving adult patients (≥18 years) admitted with NVUGIB and categorized them based on the presence of COVID-19. Primary and secondary outcomes, NVUGIB-related procedures, and predictive factors were evaluated. RESULTS: Of 184,885 adult patients admitted with NVUGIB, 1.6% (2990) had COVID-19. Patients with NVUGIB and COVID-19 showed higher inpatient mortality, acute kidney injury, need for intensive care, and resource utilization metrics. Notably, there was a lower rate of early esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Multivariate logistic regression revealed conditions like peptic ulcer disease, mechanical ventilation, and alcohol abuse as significant positive predictors for NVUGIB in COVID-19 patients, whereas female gender and smoking were negative predictors. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that COVID-19 significantly increases the risk of mortality and complications in NVUGIB patients. The observed decrease in early EGD interventions, potentially contributing to higher mortality rates, calls for a review of treatment strategies. Further multicenter, prospective studies are needed to validate these results and improve patient care strategies.

Upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage patients' survival: A causal inference and prediction study.

BACKGROUND: Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common medical emergency. This study aimed to develop models to predict critically ill patients with upper GI bleeding in-hospital and 30-day survival, identify the correlation factor and infer the causality. METHODS: A total of 2898 patients with upper GI bleeding were included from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV and eICU-Collaborative Research Database, respectively. To identify the most critical factors contributing to the prognostic model, we used SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) for machine learning interpretability. We performed causal inference using inverse probability weighting for survival-associated prognostic factors. RESULTS: The optimal model using the light GBM (gradient boosting algorithm) algorithm achieved an AUC of .93 for in-hospital survival, .81 for 30-day survival in internal testing and .87 for in-hospital survival in external testing. Important factors for in-hospital survival, according to SHAP, were SOFA (Sequential organ failure assessment score), GCS (Glasgow coma scale) motor score and length of stay in ICU (Intensive critical care). In contrast, essential factors for 30-day survival were SOFA, length of stay in ICU, total bilirubin and GCS verbal score. Our model showed improved performance compared to SOFA alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our interpretable machine learning model for predicting in-hospital and 30-day mortality in critically ill patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding showed excellent accuracy and high generalizability. This model can assist clinicians in managing these patients to improve the discrimination of high-risk patients.

The interaction of patients' physical status and time to endoscopy on mortality risk in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A national prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The correct time to perform an upper endoscopy is decisive in acutely GI bleeding patients. However, patients' physical status may affect mortality. We speculated that the physical status and procedural time could be the principal factors accountable for death-risk. The primary aim was to verify the interaction between physical status and time to endoscopy on mortality; the secondary aim was to verify the interaction of the physical status and time to endoscopy on the length of stay (LOS). METHODS: Consecutive patients admitted to 50 Italian hospitals were included. Clinical and endoscopic data were recorded. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed and the interaction of adjusted clinical physical status and time to endoscopy on mortality was calculated. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 3.190 patients. The time frames did not interfere with outcomes but influenced LOS. Conversely, the ASA score correlated with mortality, LOS, need for transfusions and rebleeding risk. CONCLUSION: Endoscopy time should be tailored to the patient's physical. In our experience, ASA 1-2-3 patients can be safely submitted to endoscopy to reduce the LOS; on the contrary, keen attention should be paid to ASA4 patients, following the 'not too early-not too late' rule (12-24 h from admission).

Geriatric mortality risk factors in emergency department for non-traumatic abdominal pain.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to determine the factors affecting the mortality of geriatric patients presenting to the emergency department with non-traumatic abdominal pain, as well as the associations of these factors with mortality. BACKGROUND: With the increasing number of elderly patients, early recognition of patients with risk-bearing diagnoses is crucial. METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study included 466 patients over 65 years of age who were admitted to THE emergency department of a tertiary hospital and consented to participate. Data was collected on patient demographics, vital signs, chronic diseases, laboratory investigations, diagnoses, disposition, and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: The results showed that the mean patient age was 74.42 years, with 47.4 % being male and 52.6 % female. 15.6 % of the patients had nonspecific causes. The risk of mortality within one month was 5.797 times higher in patients with neurological diseases and 5.183 times higher in those with a history of surgery. A one-unit decrease in hemoglobin increased the mortality risk by 0.656 times. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of careful evaluation of elderly patients with neurological diseases, previous surgical history, and anemia in the emergency department with non-traumatic abdominal pain (Tab. 5, Ref. 18).

Efficacy and safety of activated prothrombin complex concentrate for the reversal of vitamin K antagonist major bleeding.

Data on the use of activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC) for the management of warfarin associated major bleeding is sparse. The objective of the study was to assess the achievement of effective clinical hemostasis using aPCC in patients presenting with major bleeding while on warfarin. We also assessed the safety of the drug. This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching center in the USA where patients with major bleeding while receiving warfarin, and received aPCC were included. Efficacy of aPCC in achieving effective hemostasis was assessed according to the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis Scientific and Standardization Subcommittee criteria. Efficacy was also assessed by achieving INR < 1.5 after treatment. The primary safety endpoint was the occurrence of any thromboembolic complications. A total of 67 patients were included in the study. The most common site for bleeding was intracerebral hemorrhage (n = 37, 55.2%), followed by gastrointestinal bleed (n = 26, 38.8%). Clinical hemostasis was achieved in 46 (68.7%) patients and of the 21 (31.3%) patients who did not achieve clinical hemostasis, 16 died. Thirty nine (58.2%) patients achieved INR < 1.5. Five (7.5%) patients developed thromboembolic complications. This study suggests that the use of aPCCs is effective in achieving effective hemostasis in patients on warfarin presenting with major bleeding.

Acute kidney injury defined by cystatin C may be superior for predicting the outcomes of liver cirrhosis with acute gastrointestinal bleeding.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is conventionally evaluated by a dynamic change of serum creatinine (Scr). Cystatin C (CysC) seems to be a more accurate biomarker for assessing kidney function. This retrospective multicenter study aims to evaluate whether AKI re-defined by CysC can predict the in-hospital outcomes of patients with liver cirrhosis and acute gastrointestinal bleeding. METHODS: Overall, 677 cirrhotic patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding, in whom both Scr and CysC levels were detected at admissions, were screened. eGFRScr, eGFRCysC, and eGFRScr-CysC were calculated. MELD-Na score and AKI were re-evaluated by CysC instead of Scr. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated in the logistic regression analyses. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed. RESULTS: Univariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that baseline Scr and CysC levels, eGFRScr, eGFRCysC, eGFRScr-CysC, original MELD-Na score defined by Scr, MELD-Na score re-defined by CysC, and AKI re-defined by CysC, but not conventional AKI defined by Scr, were significantly associated with in-hospital death. ROC analyses showed that baseline CysC level, eGFRScr, eGFRCysC, eGFRScr-CysC, original MELD-Na score defined by Scr, and MELD-Na score re-defined by CysC, but not baseline Scr level, could significantly predict the risk of in-hospital death. CONCLUSIONS: AKI re-defined by CysC may be superior for predicting the in-hospital mortality of cirrhotic patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding.

Lower rates of endoscopy and higher mortality in end-stage renal disease patients with gastrointestinal bleeding: A propensity matched national study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis are considered to be at higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) as compared with those without renal disease (NRD). We conducted a population-based study using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to study the outcomes of GIB in ESRD. METHODS: Patients admitted with GIB (upper and lower) from 2005 to 2013 were extracted from the NIS database using ICD-9 codes. Patients were divided into NRD and ESRD groups, and a 1:1 propensity matched analysis was performed. Various outcomes were compared in both groups, and subgroup analysis based on the timing of endoscopy was also performed. RESULTS: A total of 218 032 patients were included in the study. There was an increase in inpatient admissions among ESRD patients with GIB with significant reduction in mortality (P < 0.001). In-hospital mortality, length of stay, and total costs were significantly higher in ESRD patients as compared with NRD. ESRD patients were less likely to undergo endoscopic evaluation compared with NRD (P < 0.001). Late endoscopy (> 48 h) was associated with increased need for transfusion and health-care utilization but without a significant difference in mortality as compared with early endoscopy. On multivariate analysis, endoscopy was associated with significantly lower rate of mortality in ESRD patients with GIB (odds ratio 0.28, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: End-stage renal disease patients with GIB had a significantly higher rate of mortality and a higher health-care utilization with a lower rate of endoscopic evaluation. Endoscopy was associated with a lower mortality rate on multivariate analysis.

Use and safety of prophylactic endoscopy from a single center serving urban and rural children with portal hypertension.

Prophylactic endoscopy is routine in adults with portal hypertension (PHTN), but there is limited data in pediatrics. We sought to describe our experience with prophylactic endoscopy in pediatric PHTN. This is a retrospective study of 87 children who began surveillance endoscopy prior to gastrointestinal bleeding (primary prophylaxis) and 52 who began after an episode of bleeding (secondary prophylaxis) from 01/01/1994 to 07/01/2019. Patients who underwent primary prophylaxis had a lower mean number of endoscopies (3.897 vs 6.269, p = 0.001). The primary prophylaxis group was less likely to require a portosystemic shunt (6% vs 15%, p < 0.001) with no difference in immediate complications (1% vs 2%, p = 0.173) or 2-week complications (1% vs 2%, p = 0.097). No deaths were related to variceal bleeding or endoscopy. Kaplan-Meier Survival Curve suggests improved transplant and shunt free survival in the primary prophylaxis group (log-rank p < 0.001). Primary and secondary endoscopic prophylaxis should be considered safe for the prevention of variceal hemorrhage in pediatric portal hypertension. There are differences in outcomes in primary and secondary prophylaxis, but unclear if this is due to patient characteristics versus treatment strategy. Further study is needed to compare safety and efficacy to watchful waiting.

Tranexamic Acid in Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Tranexamic acid is proposed as a treatment for gastrointestinal bleeding. The Haemorrhage Alleviation with Tranexamic Acid-Intestinal System trial evaluated extended-use (24 hr) high-dose tranexamic acid, prompting a reappraisal for tranexamic acid in gastrointestinal bleeding. DATA SOURCES: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing tranexamic acid with usual care or placebo in adults with gastrointestinal bleeding. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL (inception to September 2019). DATA SELECTION: Two reviewers independently screened citations, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool in duplicate. The main outcomes were mortality, bleeding, and adverse events. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies were analyzed as high-dose IV tranexamic acid versus all other dosing strategies for tranexamic acid using fixed-effects models. We assessed certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. DATA SYNTHESIS: Five randomized controlled trials evaluated extended-use high-dose IV tranexamic acid, seven evaluating low-dose IV or enteral tranexamic acid. Extended-use high-dose IV tranexamic acid did not reduce mortality (relative risk, 0.98%; 95% CI, 0.88-1.09; I2 = 63%; high certainty) or bleeding (relative risk, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.82-1.04; p = 0.17 and absolute risk differences, -0.7%; 95% CI, -1.5 to 0.3; high certainty) but resulted in a small increase in deep venous thrombosis (relative risk, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.08-3.72; I2 = 0%), pulmonary embolism (relative risk, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.06-3.0; I2 = 0%), and seizure (relative risk, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.03-2.93) with high certainty. Low-dose IV/enteral tranexamic acid did not reduce mortality (relative risk, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.36-1.09; I2 = 0%) but did reduce risk of rebleeding (relative risk, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.33-0.75; I2 = 9%) and need for surgery (relative risk, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38-0.88; I2 = 11%), with moderate certainty. CONCLUSIONS: Extended-use high-dose IV tranexamic acid does not improve mortality or bleeding outcomes and increases adverse events. Low-dose/enteral tranexamic acid may be effective in reducing hemorrhage; more evidence is required to demonstrate its safety.

Does preemptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt improve survival after acute variceal bleeding? Systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis of randomized trials.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: A preemptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (p-TIPSS) after acute variceal bleeding (AVB) is advocated. However, when compared with the current standard of care, the survival benefit of p-TIPSS is questionable. We performed a systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis of randomized control trials (RCTs) to assess the survival benefit of p-TIPSS in patients with cirrhosis and AVB. METHODS: Comprehensive literature search of three bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane) was conducted from inception till May 2021. All study types evaluating the survival benefit of p-TIPSS in AVB were considered for inclusion. The relative risk (RR) of mortality and rebleeding at 6 weeks and mortality at 1 year with a random-effects model was computed. Trial sequential analysis was performed for the primary outcome of 6-week mortality. RESULTS: A total of nine studies (four RCTs and five cohort studies) comprising 2861 patients with AVB were included. The overall pooled risks of mortality at 6 weeks and 1 year were 17.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.5-19.3%) and 26.7% (95% CI: 25.0-28.3%), respectively. Although p-TIPSS was associated with lower 6-week rebleeding risk (RR = 0.20; 95% CI = 0.13-0.29, I2  = 0%), data from pooled RCTs showed no significant difference in mortality at 6 weeks (RR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.08-1.36, I2  = 63%) or at 1 year (RR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.51-1.14, I2  = 30%). Using trial sequential analysis, required sample size to detect a 20% relative risk reduction in mortality at 6 weeks with p-TIPSS was estimated to be 6317, which is beyond the total number of patients available for analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis found that the available data from RCTs are insufficient to confer 6-week mortality benefit with p-TIPSS compared with standard of care; thus, adequately powered RCTs are required.

Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to portal hypertension in children: What is the best timing of endoscopy?

OBJECTIVE: To compare initial clinical/laboratory parameters and outcomes of mortality/rebleeding of endoscopy performed <12 h(early UGIE) versus endoscopy performed after 12-24h(late UGIE) of ED admission in children with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding(AUGIB) due to portal hypertension. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. From January 2010 to July 2017, medical records of all children admitted to a tertiary care hospital with AUGIB due to portal hypertension were reviewed until 60 days after ED admission. RESULTS: A total of 98 ED admissions occurred from 73 patients. Rebleeding was identified in 8/98(8%) episodes, and 9 deaths were observed. UGIE was performed in 92(94%) episodes, and 53(58%) of them occurred within 12 h of ED admission. Episodes with early UGIE and late UGIE were similar in terms of history/complaints/laboratory data at admission, chronic liver disease associated, AUGIB duration, and initial management. No statistically significant associations were found between early UGIE and the outcomes of death/rebleeding and prevalence of endoscopic hemostatic treatment (band ligation or sclerotherapy) compared to late UGIE. In the multivariable logistic regression model, the endoscopic hemostatic treatment showed a negative association with early UGIE(OR=0.33;95%CI=0.1-0.9;p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that in pediatric patients with AUGIB and portal hypertension, UGIE may be performed after 12-24 h without harm to the patient, facilitating better initial clinical stabilization/treatment and optimization of resources.

A pragmatic assessment of proton pump inhibitors vs. histamine type 2 receptor antagonists on clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding and mortality when used for stress ulcer prophylaxis in the ICU.

OBJECTIVE: Approximately 1%-5% of critically ill patients experience clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding (CIGB). This study assessed the effectiveness and safety of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) compared to histamine type 2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) for prevention of CIGB in mechanically ventilated patients. DESIGN: This is a retrospective, single-center, pharmacoepidemiologic study. SETTING: This study was carried out in six intensive care units (ICUs). PATIENTS: Critically ill adults admitted between 9/1/14 and 9/1/19 who received PPIs or H2RAs within 24 h of intubation and for ≥48 h were included in this study. INTERVENTION: PPIs or H2RAs for stress ulcer prophylaxis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Primary outcomes were CIGB occurring 48 h after ICU admission and hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were pneumonia, Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), acute kidney injury, myocardial infarction/ischemia, thrombocytopenia, and delirium. Outcomes were defined using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and Tenth Revision (ICD-10)-codes with manual cross-reference for a hemoglobin drop, transfusion, or hemodynamic compromise to further define CIGB. Of 3873 patients, 2061 (53.2%) received PPIs. CIGB was rare but higher in the PPI group (0.34% vs. 0%, RR = 1, 95% CI, 1-1; p = 0.013); however, substantial group differences existed possibly predisposing the PPI group to CIGB. Hospital mortality was higher in the PPI group (42.1% vs. 29.1%, RR = 1.23, 95% CI, 1.17-1.29; p < 0.0001). PPIs remained an independent risk factor for mortality after multivariate adjustment (RR = 1.61, 95% CI, 1.39-1.88; p < 0.0001). Rates of secondary outcomes were similar between groups except thrombocytopenia (4.3% vs. 2.2%, RR = 1.02, 95% CI, 1.01-1.03; p = 0.0003) and delirium (83.7% vs. 78.1%, RR = 1.34, 95% CI, 1.18-1.53; p < 0.0001) that were higher in the PPI group. CONCLUSION: Proton pump inhibitors were associated with CIGB; however, the overall rate of CIGB was low. Compared to H2RAs, PPIs were associated with hospital mortality. Further identification of appropriate selection criteria for ulcer prophylaxis and comparisons of pharmacologic prevention strategies are warranted.