The Natural History of Hematemesis in the 21st Century

Objective: Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding occurs at a rate of 40-150 episodes per 100,000 persons per year and is associated with a mortality rate of 6%-10%. We sought to determine the need for therapeutic endoscopy or surgical interventions in patients with hematemesis and the association with blood transfusion requirements. Methods: We queried the database of our large teaching facility for adult patients presenting with obvious upper GI...