Innovative utilization of argon plasma coagulation combined with endoclips for managing gastrointestinal bleeding attributed to colonic diverticular bleeding: a retrospective study

Background Colonic diverticular bleeding is one of the primary causes of lower gastrointestinal bleeding, with endoscopic hemostasis as the first-line treatment. However, the outcomes of endoscopic treatments remain suboptimal. This study utilized an innovative therapeutic method to manage colonic diverticular bleeding and evaluated its feasibility and safety in clinical settings. Methods Between July 2018 and July 2023, 35 patients with colonic divercular bleeding were treated through argon plasma coagulation combined with endoclips (APC-EC) at the Air Force Medical Center. The technical success rate, rebleeding rate, and complications associated with the therapeutic method over a 5-year period were retrospectively analyzed. Results The technical success rate of the method was 100%, the early rebleeding rate of APC-EC was 8.57%. The incidence of late rebleeding at 1-year follow-up was 5.71%, it was 0% at the 2- and 3-year follow-up periods. Intraoperative perforation was observed only in two patients treated with APC-EC; however, delayed perforation was not observed in any patient, and none of them required surgical treatment. Conclusions APC-EC might be a viable, safe, and effective method for treating colonic divercular bleeding.