Early Capsule Endoscopy for Overt Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Procedures performed within 3 days of hospital admission were associated with higher diagnostic yield, more therapeutic interventions, and shorter stays.

Early endoscopy for bleeding peptic ulcers is known to be effective in identifying bleeding sites, allowing directed therapy, and predicting rebleeding. Early capsule endoscopy (CE) may also be effective in identifying the site of overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OOGIB; World J Gastroenterol 2011; 17:774).

To further evaluate such benefits of early CE, investigators retrospectively reviewed outcomes of 144 inpatients and 116 outpatients who underwent CE for OOGIB (defined by visible bleeding with negative upper and lower endoscopic evaluations) during a 2-year period. Inpatients were classified as those who had early CE (within 3 days of admission) or late CE (after 3 days). Results were as follows:

Lesions (including red spots) were …

Reviewing Author

David J. Bjorkman, MD, MSPH (HSA), SM (Epid.)

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

David J. Bjorkman, MD, MSPH (HSA), SM (Epid.)

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose