Abstract
Background and Objectives: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a life threatening disease. This study was conducted to identify the etiology of UGIB and preventable deaths.
Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, files of UGIB patients who had been hospitalized at two university hospitals of Sina and Imam Khomeini in Tabriz in 2001 were reviewed.
Results: Among 578 patients admitted due to UGIB, 64 individuals (11%) died. UGIB consisted 12% of admissions and 13% of mortality of internal medicine ward. UGIB was the cause of 16.2% out of the mortality of surgical ICU. Peptic ulcer was the most common cause of bleeding. None of the etiologies had significant effect on mortality. In mortality group, 36.4% were operated and 63.6% were treated conservatively. Seventy percent of mortality in operated patients and 17% of the conservatively treated patients were potentially preventable.
Conclusion: The most common cause of preventable mortality in operated patients was delayed surgery and technical faults. The most common cause of mortality in the conservatively treated patients was restraining of operation. Return to early operative indications in UGIB patients could potentially decrease mortality.