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Application of bleeding prophylactic criteria
(NICE) in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding

 
Geyer M, Peter S, Bühler H, Bertschinger P.
Swiss Med Wkly 2007;137:146–150

Original article
Peer reviewed article

 
Summary
 
Multiple treatment guidelines for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) suggest that patients with one or more risk factors for NSAID-related ulcer complications should be prescribed preventive strategies such as acid-suppressive drugs, misoprostol or COX-2-specific inhibitors to reduce their risk of serious ulcer complications. However data are lacking as to how many patients have been on preventive measures in accordance to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) criteria in our population. We therefore evaluated the extent to which patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding have been under ulcer-preventive strategies at the time of hospital entry. In a one-year-bleeding-study at the Waid city hospital, Zürich, ulcer preventive treatment was practiced in only 25% of 214 patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding. We conclude that ulcer prevention in everyday medical practice is still being seldom applied.

Department of Internal Medicine, City Hospital Waid, Zürich, Switzerland
Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland
Gastrozentrum Hirslanden, Zürich, Switzerland



Copyright © 2007 EMH Swiss Medical Publishers Ltd.