[The role of surrogate alcoholic beverages in the development of hemorrhage in the patients presenting with Mallory-Weiss syndrome].

The objective of the present work was to study the pathological changes in various organs and tanatogenesis associated with Mallory-Weiss syndrome making use of the forensic medical and clinical materials. It was shown that the main cause of unrestrained vomiting resulting from alcoholic intoxication and leading to perfusive bleeding is not only the direct action of ethanol and surrogate alcohol on gastroesophageal mucosa and induced thrombocytopenia. Another cause may be brain oedema with subsequent cerebral herniation and irritation of the pseudobulbar centres responsible for the initiation of the vomiting reflex. The authors propose recommendations for forensic medical diagnostics of the cases of such hemorrhage.

Risk Factors Associated with Mortality and Increased Drug Costs in Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine risk factors associated with mortality and increased drug costs in patients with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients hospitalized with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding between January 2001-December 2011. Demographic and clinical characteristics and drug costs were documented. Univariate analysis determined possible risk factors for mortality. Statistically significant variables were analyzed using a logistic regression model. Multiple linear regression analyzed factors influencing drug costs. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study included data from 627 patients. Risk factors associated with increased mortality were age > 60, systolic blood pressure<100 mmHg, lack of endoscopic examination, comorbidities, blood transfusion, and rebleeding. Drug costs were higher in patients with rebleeding, blood transfusion, and prolonged hospital stay. CONCLUSION: In this patient cohort, re-bleeding rate is 11.20% and mortality is 5.74%. The mortality risk in patients with comorbidities was higher than in patients without comorbidities, and was higher in patients requiring blood transfusion than in patients not requiring transfusion. Rebleeding was associ-ated with mortality. Rebleeding, blood transfusion, and prolonged hospital stay were associated with increased drug costs, whereas bleeding from lesions in the esophagus and duodenum was associated with lower drug costs.

Mortality in high-risk patients with bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome is similar to that of peptic ulcer bleeding. Results of a prospective database study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the predictive factors influencing mortality in patients with bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome in comparison with peptic ulcer bleeding. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January 2005 and December 2009, 281 patients with endoscopically confirmed Mallory-Weiss syndrome and 1530 patients with peptic ulcer bleeding were consecutively evaluated. The 30-day mortality and clinical outcome were related to the patients' demographic data, endoscopic, and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: The one-year cumulative incidence for bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome was 7.3 cases/100,000 people and for peptic ulcer bleeding 40.4 cases/100,000 people. The age-standardized incidence for both bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome and peptic ulcer bleeding remained unchanged during the observational five-year period. The majority of patients with bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome were male patients with significant overall comorbidities (ASA class 3-4). Overall 30-day mortality rate was 5.3% for patients with bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome and 4.6% for patients with peptic ulcer bleeding (p = 0.578). In both patients with bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome and peptic ulcer bleeding, mortality was significantly higher in patients over 65 years of age and those with significant overall comorbidities (ASA class 3-4). CONCLUSION: The incidence of bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome and peptic ulcer bleeding has not changed over a five-year observational period. The overall 30-day mortality was almost equal for both bleeding Mallory-Weiss syndrome and peptic ulcer bleeding and was positively correlated to older age and underlying comorbid illnesses.

Mortality from nonulcer bleeding is similar to that of ulcer bleeding in high-risk patients with nonvariceal hemorrhage: a prospective database study in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Nonulcer causes of bleeding are often regarded as minor, ie, associated with a lower risk of mortality. OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of death from nonulcer causes of upper GI bleeding (UGIB). DESIGN: Secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from 3 national databases. SETTINGS: Community and teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients admitted for acute nonvariceal UGIB. INTERVENTIONS: Early endoscopy, medical and endoscopic treatment as appropriate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Thirty-day mortality, recurrent bleeding, and need for surgery. RESULTS: A total of 3207 patients (65.8% male), mean (standard deviation) age 68.3 (16.4) years, were analyzed. Overall mortality was 4.45% (143 patients). According to the source of bleeding, mortality was 9.8% for neoplasia, 4.8% for Mallory-Weiss tears, 4.8% for vascular lesions, 4.4% for gastroduodenal erosions, 4.4% for duodenal ulcer, and 3.1% for gastric ulcer. Frequency of death was not different among benign endoscopic diagnoses (overall P = .567). Risk of death was significantly higher in patients with neoplasia compared with benign conditions (odds ratio 2.50; 95% CI, 1.32-4.46; P < .0001). Gastric or duodenal ulcer significantly increased the risk of death, but this was not related to the presence of high-risk stigmata (P = .368). The strongest predictor of mortality for all causes of nonvariceal UGIB was the overall physical status of the patient measured with the American Society of Anesthesiologists score (1-2 vs 3-4, P < .001). LIMITATIONS: No data on the American Society of Anesthesiologists class score in the Prometeo study. CONCLUSIONS: Nonulcer causes of nonvariceal UGIB have a risk of death, similar to bleeding peptic ulcers in the clinical context of a high-risk patient.

Natural history of Mallory-Weiss tear in African American and Hispanic patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the natural history of Mallory-Weiss tear (MWT) in African American and Hispanic patients. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of all patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding over a 10-year period. Endoscopic diagnosis of MWT was made in 12% (n = 698) of all patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. More than half of our patients with MWT did not have a preceding history of retching or vomiting. Bleeding episodes were hemodynamically significant in 216 (31%) patients. Most of the patients with MWT (80%) had an uneventful and short hospital stay (range, 1-4 days). Recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding within 30 days occurred in 84 (12%) patients. Overall mortality was 10%; endoscopic hemostasis failure and associated comorbidities were the common culprits.

Risk factors for mortality in patients with Mallory-Weiss syndrome.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although the majority of patients with Mallory-Weiss syndrome (MWS) have a benign course, in some patients MWS results in a fatal outcome. Therefore, this study was carried out to analyze the risk factors for mortality in patients with MWS. METHODOLOGY: The medical records of patients with MWS seen between March 1994 and July 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. The demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory parameters, and endoscopic findings of the patients were analyzed and the risk factors for mortality were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of ninety-three patients (13 female and 80 male patients; median age, 53 years) were treated. The mortality rate was 9.7% (9/93). The patients with a fatal outcome were of advanced age and had a higher frequency of shock on arrival, lower hemoglobin level, more prolonged prothrombin time, higher AST and ALT levels, higher frequency of detection of exposed vessels on endoscopy, higher frequency of rebleeding, longer hospital stay, and required a larger volume of blood transfusion than those who did not have a fatal outcome. According to the results of a multivariate analysis, the significant risk factors for mortality in the MWS patients were advanced age (OR 1.222, 95% CI 1.015-1.028), very low hemoglobin level (OR 2.137, 95% CI 1.063-4.295), elevated AST level (OR 1.007, 95% CI 1.001-1.013), and presence of the clinical symptom of tarry stool (OR 45.45, 95% CI 1.080-1000). CONCLUSIONS: Intensive care with close monitoring is required for patients of advanced age with a low hemoglobin level, an elevated AST level, and the clinical symptom of tarry stool, since these are of prognostic importance in terms of the mortality in MWS patients.

[Death on a sauna stove]. / Verbrennung auf dem Saunaofen.

A 67-year-old woman noticed a strange smell from the cellar of her house. When she followed the smell, she found her 64-year-old husband with the face and upper part of his body lying on the stove of the private sauna. He was dead when the emergency doctor arrived. The autopsy revealed upper gastrointestinal bleeding from mucosal lesions in the esophagus with an agonal fall on the sauna stove as the cause of death. In addition, there were signs of chronic alcohol and drug abuse.

[Therapy and course of disease in spontaneous esophageal perforations]. / Chirurgische Therapie und Verlauf nach spontaner Osophagusruptur.

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal perforations occur spontaneously or as a complication of endoscopic procedures. Especially in spontaneous perforation there is ongoing debate regarding the best treatment options. METHODS: 24 patients that were treated at two surgical centers (University Halle, City-hospital Bielefeld) after spontaneous esophageal perforations between 1996 and 2005 were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: All patients but one underwent surgical treatment with in 2 cases additional stent implantation. Average stay in hospital was 53 days. In-hospital-lethality was 25% (overall lethality 37.5%). Concerning the therapeutic outcome there was no link between patients' age, localization or size of the perforation and the time interval between perforation and treatment. In 22 patients diagnosis was made > 12hrs after the event. CONCLUSIONS: Main problem of the Boerhaave-syndrome is the septic-toxic disease. Prognostic criteria are the patients' health-state and not factors like size of perforation, time of delay or localization of the perforation. Since in case of survival esophageal resection shows good long-term-results, in doubt a radical surgical procedure should be recommended as primary option. Implanting an esophageal stent might become a useful mean of treating patients with spontaneous perforations.

[The Mallory-Weiss syndrome as an unrecognized cause of death]. / Malori-Vajsov sindrom kao u uzrok neznana smrti.

Longitudinal tears in the esophagus at the esophageogastric junction are termed Mallory-Weiss syndrome. They are encountered most commonly in alcoholics, attributed to episodes of excessive vomiting. These lacerations could be the cause of massive and severe external and/or internal fatal bleeding. Bleeding from upper gastrointestinal parts could be caused by this syndrome, as well as by ulcers, inflammations, esophageal varices, tumours, blunt abdominal injuries, etc. Such unclear deaths could be of interest to law authorities because they are suspicious, sudden and/or obscure. In daily forensic medical practice, this syndrome is relatively rare, and therefore it, it should be recognized. In this paper, the authors present the case of a single male, aged 54, a chronic drinker, who was found dead in his flat. During the previous day, he was observed medically in the Trauma Centre in Belgrade for nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting and diarrhea). The mucous tears of esophageogastric junction had been established by autopsy, as well as the massive internal gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of autopsy and microscopic findings, clinical data and circumstances, the established cause of natural death was fatal exsanguination from esophageogastric mucous tears due to Mallory-Weiss syndrome.

Rare causes of acute non-variceal gastrointestinal bleeding episodes: results of endoscopic therapy.

In this study the frequency of rare causes of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding was studied retrospectively using the case load of a large teaching hospital. Nine hundred and eighty patients with a clinical diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal bleeding were endoscoped between November 1987 and February 1993. Of these, 156 patients were found to be actively bleeding or had a visible vessel. Rare causes of bleeding were identified in 11 patients (7%). A Dieulafoy ulcer was found in five cases, and a mesenchymal tumor of the stomach in three patients. In the three remaining patients a bleeding gastric polyp, hemobilia and ischemic necrosis of the small bowel were identified as the source of bleeding. In three of these 11 patients the diagnosis was delayed and only made on repeat endoscopy the following day. Therapeutic endoscopy with circumlesional injection of epinephrine was successful in the majority of patients, and only three patients underwent emergency surgery. Two patients died during the acute bleeding episode, one of them had a Dieulafoy ulcer, the other suffered from ischemic bowel necrosis. Diagnosis of rare causes of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding may be delayed, morbidity and mortality increased. Familiarity with these conditions may improve the outcome.

A current approach to acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

The mortality in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding has not changed in the past quarter century in spite of the introduction of new modes of therapy and treatment. In this review we address the possible reasons for a lack of change in mortality and the implications raised for the use of new techniques. We review the factors that affect the mortality of acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage and the diagnostic accuracy of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Based on this information, we present guidelines for the therapy of the major causes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. These guidelines should be useful until new therapies have been assessed and become generally available.

Mallory-Weiss syndrome: analysis of fifty-nine cases.

Fifty-nine patients with Mallory-Weiss gastroesophageal lacerations are described. These patients consisted of 6% of all cases of upper gastrointestinal tract hemorrhage we evaluated. The most common symptoms were hematemesis (92%) and retching (61%). A history of chronic alcoholism was present in 69.5%, and recent binge drinking in 52.5% of our patients. Diagnosis was made endoscopically (55 patients) or surgically (four patients). Two deaths occurred in the 51 patients who were managed nonoperatively and two deaths occurred in the eight patients who underwent surgery. None of the deaths was related to delay in operative treatment. Eleven patients had late rebleeding, but in only three of these patients was this due to recurrent Mallory-Weiss lesions. We believe the Mallory-Weiss laceration can now be considered to be a relatively benign condition that can be managed successfully by nonoperative means in the majority of cases.

Mallory-Weiss syndrome: retrospective review of eight years' experience.

Retrospective review of eight years' experience with the Mallory-Weiss syndrome emphatically supports the need for accurate, early localization of the site of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Pertinent aspects of the history and physical and laboratory evaluation of this group of patients were analyzed to determine the relative merits of each in diagnosis and treatment. Angiography was helpful as a diagnostic aid in a small group of patients. Endoscopy, the cornerstone of diagnosis, is essential in the choice of the management program. Data from this study support the following conclusions: (1) patients not bleeding at the time of endoscopy rarely require surgical intervention; and (2) patients bleeding at the time of endoscopy vary as to their need for operative treatment and deserve a trial of preliminary medical therapy.