Treating Patients with Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding or Rebleeding

Despite advances in medical management, gastrointestinal bleeding remains a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality. At risk are patients with history of the event, those taking nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents, and those with active peptic ulcer disease. Endoscopy may be performed for diagnosis and treatment. Antisecretory therapy may be employed to control gastric acid secretion, treat active peptic ulcer disease, and control symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain. Options for antisecretory therapy include histamine2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) that target the histamine pathway, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) that target the final step in acid secretion. The H2RAs generally are ineffective at reaching a target pH of 6 in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding because of tachyphylaxis. The PPIs are more effective and do not lead to tachyphylaxis. With the availability of an intravenous PPI, pantoprazole, options for managing hospitalized patients with gastrointestinal bleeding are expanding.