[Initial management of gastrointestinal bleeding]

Acute gastrointestinal bleeding is a medical emergency in which early management, including pre-hospital care, is crucial for prognosis. The patient's history and clinical examination should focus on identifying signs of severity requiring immediate medical intervention. The pharmalogical treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding depends on the suspected cause: proton pump inhibitors for peptic ulcers, splanchnic vasoconstrictors and antibiotics in cases of portal hypertension. Risk stratification using validated scoring systems helps identify low-risk patients eligible for outpatient management. A restrictive transfusion strategy (hemoglobin < 7 g/dL) is recommended. For upper gastrointestinal bleeding, endoscopy should be performed within 24 hours (within 12 hours in patients with portal hypertension). For lower gastrointestinal bleeding, computed tomography angiography is useful for locating active bleeding, while colonoscopy remains the gold standard procedure.