[Results of treatment of ulcer hemorrhages]

The results of 270 patients, admitted from 1978 to 1985 because of upper gastrointestinal bleeding from ulcers or erosions were analysed retrospectively. Chronic peptic ulcers were the most common bleeding sites (192 patients, 71%). 49 patients (18%) bled from acute lesions and 29 (11%) from drug-induced ulcers. 53% of all patients exhibited an oozing hemorrhage (type Forrest 1 b) during emergency endoscopy. Within the eight-year-period hospital mortality dropped from 18% to 8%. In parallel the prognosis of oozing bleeding improved. In this period the patients were more often treated with secretin or somatostatin. Hence the frequency of emergency operations for patients with oozing bleeding could be reduced from 44% in 1978 to 10% in 1985 and the death rate from 22% to 5%.