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Endoscopy Combined With Antiplatelets or Anticoagulant Agents
Safe for Identifying GI Bleeding: 5 Key Notes
By Eric Oliver
A
study in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy is the first case
series to test the benefits and safety of provocative
testing combined with endoscopy.
Here's what you need to know.
1. Researchers from Baton Rouge-based Louisiana State Uni-
versity Health led the study in an attempt to find gastrointes-
tinal bleeding.
2. GI bleeding occurs in more than 500,000 patient cases each
year. If the bleeding isn't identified and contained, it can cause
patient death. It also stains hospital resources because of the
need for repeated transfusions and hospitalizations.
3. The LSU Health team administered blood thinners to the
patients to identify the source of the bleeding. The research-
ers reviewed a database of endoscopic procedures and
identified 27 patients with refractory bleeding who received
provocative agents during treatment.
4. The patients all had anemia or persistent bleeding. Pro-
vocative testing was successful in 15 patients, or 56 percent
of the patients.
5. Lead author Daniel Raines, MD, said the decision to
provoke bleeding in patients without knowing the source
"should not be taken lightly." He believes the study demon-
strates that provocative endoscopy can be used successfully
when the risk is necessary.
n
The decision to provoke bleeding in
patients without knowing the source
"should not be taken lightly."
-Daniel Raines, MD, lead author
