The treatment of bleeding peptic ulcer in the elderly

Haemorrhage is the most frequent PUD complication and its incidence is increasing in comparison to perforation and stenosis. Therapeutic endoscopy is considered the treatment of choice for bleeding ulcers, reducing the need for emergent surgical procedures to 10–20% of the cases. The study evaluated the incidence of re-bleeding and the type of treatment used, the mortality and the complications in the different age groups in relation to the type of treatment and the correlation between the number of endoscopic haemostasis and mortality. The evaluation of the treatment outcome in our series of patients suggests that endoscopic haemostasis and medical treatment should be the first therapeutic option in ulcer cases with active bleeding. In the event of re-bleeding, repeated endoscopic haemostasis is indicated. The need for surgery is limited among cases where haemostasis can't be performed due to the position of the ulcer or the type of bleeding.