[Laser coagulation in acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage (author's transl)].

The high mortality rate of up to 64% as a result of emergency for gastrointestinal hemorrhage indicates the need for a reliable method for endoscopic bleeding control. By developing a special flexible endoscopic laser transmission system it was possible to transmit high-power Nd-Yag laser radiation, which is especially effective in massive hemorrhages. In 1 1/2 years 186 (94%) of 198 bleeding incidents in 150 unselected patients could be controlled by endoscopic laser irradiation (varices: 60; Mallory-Weiss tears: 14; ulcers: 101; multiple erosions: 11).