Upper non-variceal gastrointestinal
bleeding is a condition that requires immediate medical intervention and has a high associated mortality rate (exceeding 10%). The vast majority of upper gastrointestinal
bleeding cases are due to
peptic ulcers. Helicobacter pylori
infection, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and
aspirin are the main risk factors for
peptic ulcer disease. Endoscopic
therapy has generally been recommended as the first-line treatment for upper gastrointestinal
bleeding as it has been shown to reduce recurrent
bleeding, the need for surgery and mortality. Early endoscopy (within 24 h of hospital admission) has a greater impact than delayed endoscopy on the length of
hospital stay and requirement for
blood transfusion. This paper aims to review and compare the efficacy of the types of
endoscopic hemostasis most commonly used to control non-variceal gastrointestinal
bleeding by pooling data from the literature.