Gastrointestinal bleeding: treatment with intra-arterial vasopressin.

Seventeen patients with upper and lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage were treated with selective intra-arterial continuous vasopressin infusion. 62.5 per cent of variceal and 60 per cent of nonvariceal episodes of hemorrhages were permanently controlled by vasopressin. The initial total success rate was 76.5 per cent. No major complications occurred. Early success with this technique has encouraged its continued use under a controlled setting for indications for its use to be evaluated.