[Significance of emergency endoscopy in severe upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage].

312 of a total of 543 emergency endoscopies were carried out in patients with severe haemorrhage of the upper gastrointestinal tract. This was defined as a haemorrhage of such severity that at least 2 of the following 3 criteria were present: a shock index greater than 1, an erythrocyte count of less than 3 million/mm3, and a transfusion requirement of three or more 500 ml bags of blood. The source of the bleeding was exactly located in 247 endoscopies, and accurate diagnoses were established in 94.4% of the cases examined. The most frequent source of bleeding was oesophageal varices, followed by duodenal ulcers. In 20.2% of these cases, further sources of potential haemorrhage were found in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Endoscopic diagnosis resulted in immediate, specific therapy in 286 cases. Treatment was given within the first 24 hours in every case. 24.7% of our patients had to undergo laparotomy immediately after endoscopy. 30.4% were given H2 receptor inhibitors, and 35.6% underwent endoscopic haemostasis. The mortality rate in these patients was 29.5%. These results indicate that emergency endoscopy is an important aid to decision-making in cases of severe haemorrhage of the upper gastrointestinal tract.