[Immediate conservative therapeutic measures in acute variceal hemorrhage (including catheter blockage)]

Abstract

Balloon tamponade and vasoactive drugs such as vasopressin, glypressin, vasopressin and nitroglycerin combined and somatostatin are the mainstay of noninvasive emergency treatment of bleeding gastroesophageal varices. However, their hemostatic efficacy is limited and recurrent bleeding occurs in at least one half of the patients. Survival is not improved. Unwarranted side effects and complications may be severe. Therefore, vasoactive drugs and balloon tamponade can only serve as temporizing measures until some means of definite control of bleeding such as sclerotherapy is available.