Severe gastrointestinal bleeding

Severe gastrointestinal bleeding is a common cause of admission of the elderly to intensive care units. Differentiation between upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding is made on the basis of history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests. Therapy is based in part on the severity of the bleeding episode and on the cause of the hemorrhage. Therapeutic intervention may involve medical therapy, endoscopic therapy, angiographic therapy, and surgery. Patient outcome is often related to other underlying disease states.