Managing acute upper GI bleeding, preventing recurrences

Acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is common and potentially life-threatening and needs a prompt assessment and aggressive medical management. All patients need to undergo endoscopy to diagnose, assess, and possibly treat any underlying lesion. In addition, patients found to have bleeding ulcers should receive a proton pump inhibitor, the dosage and duration of treatment depending on the endoscopic findings and clinical factors.