[Hemorrhagic gastro-duodenal ulcers. In which cases should emergency surgery be performed?]

From January 1983 to December 1987, 127 patients with bleeding peptic ulcer were admitted to hospital. The mean age of the 85 males was 57 years and 72 years for 42 females. All but four of the patients were managed medically after emergency endoscopy. Twenty-seven patients required surgical operations (21.2%): seven for cataclysmic haemorrhage, eight for persistent haemorrhage, twelve for recurrent bleeding. An analysis of factors leading to the necessity of surgical haemostasis was undertaken by considering the clinical status, endoscopic findings and laboratory results. The size of the ulcer (greater than 2 cm) was the most significant parameter (less than 0.01). Five other criteria (rectal bleeding) shock, endoscopic signs of recent haemorrhage, gastric or duodenal posterior ulcer) were also significant (p less than 0.05). Considering the gravity of these patients (six deaths among twenty-seven), clinical trials in bleeding peptic ulcer disease should only include patients in the high risk group.