The Selection Criteria for the Second-look Endoscopy Among Patients With Bleeding Peptic Ulcers

Each enrolled patient receives an 80 mg loading dose of intravenous esomeprazole (Nexium®, AstraZeneca AB, Södertälje, Sweden) immediately after hemostasis is achieved spontaneously or by gastroscopy. Patients then receive a 3-day continuous high dose (8 mg per hour) of esomeprazole infusion. Because of concern for patient safety with certain drug-drug interactions, patients who take clopidogrel receive intravenous pantoprazole (Pantoloc®, Takeda, Singen, Germany), including an 80 mg loading dose and a 3-day continuous high-dose (8 mg/h) of infusion.

At the index gastroscopy, bleeding ulcers are checked. If the adherent clot is found over the ulcer base, it will be vigorously washed away with water jet. All of the stigmata of recent hemorrhage (SRH) are treated by one or a combination of endoscopic therapies including local injection of diluted epinephrine 1:10000, bipolar heated probe at 20 J per goal consecutively until achievement of coaptive coagulation, argon plasma coagulation, band ligation, or hemoclip therapy. The success of endoscopic hemostasis is defined as cessation of bleeding together with achievement of cavitation at the vessel after application of the heater probe.