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Cimetidine and acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a double-blind controlled trial
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine
|December 1, 1980
Summary
This study investigated if cimetidine helps acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Results showed cimetidine did not reduce bleeding severity or rebleeding incidence in patients.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a significant clinical concern.
- Cimetidine is a histamine H2-receptor antagonist with potential cytoprotective effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of cimetidine in reducing the severity and rebleeding rates of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
- To assess the routine use of cimetidine in managing acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted.
- Patients received intravenous cimetidine or placebo for 48 hours, followed by oral administration for ten days.
- Eighty-eight patients were enrolled in the study.
Main Results:
- Fifty-one percent of patients were treated with cimetidine.
- A higher proportion of patients requiring surgery for life-threatening bleeding were in the cimetidine group (6/7).
- More patients who rebled were also in the cimetidine group (4/6).
Conclusions:
- The study did not demonstrate a significant advantage of routine cimetidine use in treating acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Cimetidine did not appear to reduce bleeding severity or rebleeding incidence.
- Further research may be needed to explore specific patient subgroups or alternative treatment strategies.