Acute Massive Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the Elderly

An 82-year patient presented with nausea, coffee-ground emesis, melena and hematochezia on July 10, 2011. The patient received blood transfusion on July 11, and continued to bleed from July 12 to 17. The patient underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy on July 16. There were no abnormalities in the esophagus, stomach and duodenum. Then the patient presented with shortness of breath, extreme fear, fatigue, hypotension, sweating, and cold limbs. Dopamine, as well as pressurised infusion of packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma were given to the patient to maintain blood pressure. CT angiography (CTA) revealed no aortic fistula, and enteroscopy revealed active bleeding in the vicinity of the ligament of Treitz. The retrograde exploration of gastroscopy revealed a 5×4 cm diverticulum on the posterior wall of the duodenum under the ligament of Treitz. Active bleeding of the small artery in the diverticulum was observed via incision of the duodenal wall, and the diverticulum was isolated. Hemostasis was achieved after ligation of blood vessels, and diverticulectomy was performed. Enteroscopy is important for the diagnosis of duodenal and upper small intestinal diseases. Repeated endoscopic exploration of multiple sites in the small intestine revealed the cause of the bleeding. The multidisciplinary team finally found the cause of the bleeding and its proper management.