[Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in Cuzco: two years experience]

Abstract

The experience in upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGB) from december 1987 to november 1989 at the Peruvian Social Security Regional Hospital Endoscopy Unit in Cuzco is here presented. From 5475 admissions to our hospital, 159 were related to UGB (2.9% of the total admissions, 90 hospital admissions/100,000 in habitants per year), ocurring in 140 patients. The mean age was 51.6 years, 57.9% was older than 50 years, the male/female ratio 6/1. The most frequent causes of bleeding were: Duodenal ulcer (30%) acute lesions of the gastric or duodenal mucose (24,3%), gastric ulcer (16,4%), calling to our attention relative high frequency of gastric ulcer as a cause of bleeding. (5,7%).6,4% of the patients needed surgery, 30% required blood transfusion. The overall mortality was 9.3%.