Multiple Infusions of Posterior Pituitary Extract in the Treatment of Bleeding Esophageal Varices

Article1 November 1962Multiple Infusions of Posterior Pituitary Extract in the Treatment of Bleeding Esophageal VaricesHAROLD O. CONN, M.D., DONALD J. DALESSIO, M.D.HAROLD O. CONN, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, DONALD J. DALESSIO, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-57-5-804 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptHemorrhage from esophageal varices is one of the most formidable emergencies in medicine. Despite the use of blood transfusions, esophageal tamponade, and emergency surgical procedures, more than half the patients who bleed from esophageal varices die of exsanguination or the sequelae of the hemorrhage (1-5).The recent demonstration by Kehne, Hughes, and Gompertz that posterior pituitary extract (Pituitrin) can control bleeding from esophageal varices by reducing the portal venous pressure has aroused great interest (6). Its efficacy in controlling hemorrhage from esophageal varices has been confirmed by the clinical evaluations of Schwartz (7), Shaldon (8), and Merigan (9) and their...References1. RATNOFFPATEK ODAJ: The natural history of Laennec's cirrhosis of the liver. An analysis of 386 cases. Medicine 21: 207, 1942. CrossrefGoogle Scholar2. RATNOFFPATEK ODAJ: Postnecrotic cirrhosis of the liver. J. Chron. Dis. 1: 266, 1955. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. 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REYNOLDSFREEDMANWINSOR TBTW: Results of the treatment of bleeding esophageal varices with balloon tamponage. Amer. J. Med. Sci. 224: 500, 1952. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar22. LUDINGTON LG: A study of 158 cases of esophageal varices. Surg. Gynec. Obstet. 106: 519, 1958. MedlineGoogle Scholar23. CONN HO: Hazards attending the use of esophageal tamponade. New Engl. J. Med. 259: 701, 1958. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar24. RUSKIN A: Pitressin test of coronary insufficiency. Amer. Heart J. 34: 569, 1947. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar25. MILLSBURCHELLPARKERKIRKLIN MDHBRBR: Myocardial infarction and sudden death following administration of pitressin: additional electrocardiographic study of 100 patients given pitressin for cholecystography. Proc. Mayo Clin. 24: 254, 1949. MedlineGoogle Scholar26. SLOTNICKTEIGLAND ILJD: Cardiac accidents following vasopressin injection (Pitressin®). JAMA 146: 1126, 1957. CrossrefGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: West Haven, ConnecticutFrom the Medical Service, Veterans Administration Hospital, West Haven, Connecticut, and the Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.Supported in part by United States Public Health Service Grant C-2727.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Harold O. Conn, M.D., Veterans Administration Hospital, West Spring Street, West Haven 16, Connecticut. 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It Depends upon the Liver”Clinical Aspects of the Hepatic CirculationEmergency Esophagoscopy in the Diagnosis of Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage 1 November 1962Volume 57, Issue 5Page: 804-809KeywordsBlood transfusionCirrhosisHemorrhageHospital medicineMedical services Issue Published: 1 November 1962 PDF DownloadLoading ...