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Introduction: Clinically significant post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) bleeding (CSPEB) is common. Contemporary estimates of risk are lacking. We aimed to identify risk factors of and outcomes after CSPEB., Methods: We analyzed multicenter prospective ERCP data between 2018 and 2024 with 30-day follow-up. The primary outcome was CSPEB, defined as hematemesis, melena, or hematochezia resulting in (i) hemoglobin drop ≥ 20 g/L or transfusion and/or (ii) endoscopy to evaluate suspected bleeding and/or (iii) unplanned healthcare visitation and/or prolongation of existing admission. Firth logistic regression was used. P values <0.05 were significant, with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals reported., Results: CSPEB occurred after 129 (1.5%) of 8,517 ERCPs (mean onset 3.2 days), with 110 of 4,849 events (2.3%) occurring after higher risk interventions (sphincterotomy, sphincteroplasty, precut sphincterotomy, and/or needle-knife access). Patients with CSPEB required endoscopy and transfusion in 86.0% and 53.5% of cases, respectively, with 3 cases (2.3%) being fatal. P2Y 12 inhibitors were held for a median of 4 days (interquartile range 4) before higher risk ERCP. After higher risk interventions, P2Y 12 inhibitors (OR 3.33, 1.26-7.74), warfarin (OR 8.54, 3.32-19.81), dabigatran (OR 13.40, 2.06-59.96), rivaroxaban (OR 7.42, 3.43-15.24), and apixaban (OR 4.16, 1.99-8.20) were associated with CSPEB. Significant intraprocedural bleeding after sphincterotomy (OR 2.32, 1.06-4.60), but not after sphincteroplasty, was also associated. Concomitant cardiorespiratory events occurred more frequently within 30 days after CSPEB (OR 12.71, 4.75-32.54)., Discussion: Risks of antiplatelet-related CSPEB may be underestimated by endoscopists based on observations of suboptimal holding before higher risk ERCP. Appropriate periprocedural antithrombotic management is essential and could represent novel quality initiative targets., (Copyright © 2024 by The American College of Gastroenterology.)

Background: Patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) are at increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). Statins are commonly prescribed in LVAD patients for cardiovascular disease prevention. However, their impact on GIB events is controversial. Importantly, literature regarding statins impact on GIB in CF-LVAD patients is lacking., Methods: A single-center, retrospective review of adult patients who underwent CF-LVAD implantation between May 2016 and January 2020 was performed. Patients were categorized based on statin use throughout the study period. The primary outcome was the composite of arteriovenous malformation confirmed GIB and major GIB events for up to 1-year post-LVAD implantation., Results: Of 123 patients included in the final analysis, 66 (54%) received statin therapy during the study period. No difference was observed in the primary outcome between the statin and control groups (RR: 1.73; 95% CI: 0.75-3.98; p =0.20). Multivariable Cox regression revealed that older age and higher baseline creatinine were associated with an increased risk of GIB within 1-year of CF-LVAD implantation., Conclusion: Among patients with CF-LVADs, there was no significant difference in the incidence of major GIB events associated with the use of statin therapy. Further studies are needed to assess whether a true association exists., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Appropriate prescription of Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) remains an important concern amid the rising overuse. A gap exists in the literature regarding the benefit of PPI prophylaxis and the consequences of underprescription in patients at risk for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB)., Aims: This study aims to describe the characteristics of hemorrhage in relation to PPI use in patients experiencing UGIB, with a focus on high-risk individuals requiring gastroprotection., Methods: Data from a French multicentric cohort of patients experiencing UGIB were analyzed. Patients using PPI were compared to those without PPI considering bleeding etiologies and outcomes of peptic ulcer disease (PUD)-related hemorrhage. The rate of PPI use and its effect on bleeding characteristics in high-risk populations, defined based on international guidelines, were also assessed., Results: Among 2497 included patients, 31.1% were on PPI at bleeding onset. PPI users exhibited a significantly lower rate of PUD-related bleeding in comparison with those without PPI (24.7 vs 40.8%, respectively, p < 0.0001). Similar difference was observed in high-risk populations, of whom, only 40.3% had gastroprotection with PPI before bleeding onset. PPI prophylaxis, however, did not influence the severity of bleeding in the general study population or in high-risk groups. Multivariate analysis identified age, comorbidities, and having more than two anti-thrombotic agents as predictors of severe bleeding., Conclusions: PPI users appear to have a lower rate of bleeding ulcers compared to non-users. However, underprescription in high-risk groups raises the need for standardized care to ensure appropriate PPI use., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interest Authors have no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests to disclose concerning this work., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: In patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), antiplatelet medication usage is crucial for preventing thrombotic events. However, it requires careful monitoring, especially because of the risk of life-threatening bleeding complications. In hemorrhagic complications, assessment of patient background and risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) remain limited for GIB that develops during long-term observation after hospital discharge. This study aimed to examine the incidence of GIB and patient characteristics in CAD post-PCI., Methods: All CAD patients undergoing PCI for urgent, emergent, or elective indications were enrolled in the Keio Interhospital Cardiovascular Studies (JCD-KiCS)-PCI registry (January 2009 and December 2017) and followed up to 2 years after PCI discharge. From the JCD-KiCS PCI registry, 8864 patients (median [interquartile range [IQR]] age: non-GIB: 69.0 y [16 y], upper GIB (UGI): 72.0 y [15.5 y], lower GIB (LGI): 73.0 y [IQR: 13 y]) were categorized based on the occurrence of hospitalization-requiring GIB. Patient characteristics and detailed information regarding these GIB events, including the location (upper vs lower GI) and bleeding severity, were analyzed., Results: Overall, 36 patients experienced UGI, while 85 patients experienced LGI. The rates of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and triple therapy were significantly different among the non-GIB (n = 8734), UGI (n = 36) and LGI (n = 85) groups (DAPT [aspirin + P2Y12 (clopidogrel/prasugrel/ticlopidine)]: 64 [76.2 %] in the LGI group vs 24 [68.6 %] in the UGI group vs 7330 [84.6 %] in the non-GIB group; triple therapy [aspirin + P2Y12 (clopidogrel/prasugrel/ticlopidine)] + oral anticoagulant (OAC) (warfarin/direct oral anticoagulant [DOAC]): 17 [20.2 %] in the LGI group vs 8 [22.9 %] in the UGI group vs 836 [9.6 %] in the non-GIB group; p < 0.001). In the LGI and UGI groups, aspirin and warfarin were used in 2 (2.4 %) and 2 (5.7 %) patients, respectively, but not in combination with DOAC. The 2-year post-PCI hospitalization incidence for GIB was 1.4 % (LGI, 1.0 %; UGI, 0.4 %). The most common causes were colonic diverticular hemorrhage (43.5 %) for LGI and duodenal ulcer (21.9 %) for UGI. No significant differences were found in the cumulative 2-year post-PCI risks between the LGI and UGI groups (log-rank p = 0.97). Most GIB events were Bleeding Academic Research Consortium 2-equivalent (hemoglobin decrease <3 g/dL). Notably, the use of OACs at PCI discharge, bleeding complications within 72 h, and preprocedural anemia were significantly correlated with an increased GIB risk., Conclusions: The real-world incidence of LGI is two times higher than that of UGI in CAD patients undergoing PCI, and most events are mild. OAC use at PCI discharge is the strongest potential risk factor for GIB development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dr. Kohsaka has received an unrestricted research grant from Novartis and AstraZeneca. Dr. Hosoe received an unrestricted research grant from Medtronic Inc. The funder did not play a role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, publication decision, or manuscript preparation. The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background and Study Aims: Lynch syndrome (LS) is a hereditary autosomal dominant condition, with an increased lifetime risk of developing malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC). Current guidelines differ in recommended colonoscopy-surveillance intervals from 1 to 2 years. Although colonoscopy is considered a safe procedure, there are risks of severe adverse events (SAEs), such as perforation and bleeding, as well as adverse events (AEs), such as abdominal discomfort and post-colonoscopy gastrointestinal infections. Colonoscopy-related bleeding and perforation rates have been reported 0.17% and 0.11%, respectively. However, there are insufficient data regarding complications of colonoscopy-surveillance for LS patients. This study aims to investigate the risk of AEs among LS patients during colonoscopy in the Stockholm region., Patients and Methods: This retrospective cohort study includes 351 LS patients undergoing endoscopic surveillance at the Karolinska University Hospital, August 1989 - April 2021. Data from endoscopic surveillance colonoscopies were extracted from patients' medical records., Results: Of 1873 endoscopies in 351 LS patients, 12 complications (AEs) were documented within 30 days (0.64%) and with a total of 3 bleedings (SAEs, 0.16%). No perforations were identified., Conclusion: Colonoscopy surveillance for LS patients shows a comparatively low risk of AEs per-examination. Colonoscopy complications per-patient, including both SAEs and AEs, show a significantly higher risk. Colonoscopy complications only including SAEs, show a comparatively low risk. Understanding the lifetime risk of surveillance-related colonoscopy complications is important when designing targeted surveillance programmes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Hemocompatibility-related adverse events affect patients after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation but are hard to predict., Objectives: Dynamic risk modeling with a multistate model can predict risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), stroke, or death in ambulatory patients., Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the MOMENTUM 3 (Multicenter Study of MagLev Technology in Patients Undergoing Mechanical Circulatory Support Therapy with HeartMate 3) trial. HeartMate 3 LVAD recipients who survived to hospital discharge and were followed for up to 2 years. A total of 145 variables were included in the multistate model with multivariate logistic regression. Model performance was assessed with the area under the curve in a holdout validation cohort. A risk stratification tool was created by dividing patients into categories of predicted risk using the final model variables and associated OR., Results: Among 2,056 LVAD patients, the median age was 59.4 years (20.4% women, 28.6% Black). At 2 years, the incidence of GIB, stroke, and death was 25.6%, 6.0%, and 12.3%, respectively. The multistate model included 39 total variables to predict risk of GIB (16 variables), stroke (10 variables), and death (19 variables). When ambulatory patients were classified according to their risk category, the 30-day observed event rate in the highest risk group for GIB, stroke, or death was 26.9%, 1.8%, and 4.8%, respectively. The multistate model predicted GIB, stroke, and death at any 30-day period with an area under the curve of 0.70, 0.69, and 0.86, respectively., Conclusions: The multistate model informs 30-day risk in ambulatory LVAD recipients and allows recalculation of risk as new patient-specific data become available. The model allows for accurate risk stratification that predicts impending adverse events and may guide clinical decision making. (MOMENTUM 3 IDE Clinical Study Protocol; NCT02224755)., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Abbott is the sponsor of the MOMENTUM 3 studies. Abbott supported an investigator-initiated grant paid to the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute to support this effort; and Abbott has filed a U.S. provisional patent (U.S. Patent Application No. 63/421,450) for the work presented in the paper. Dr Shah is supported by National Institutes of Health K23 Career Development Award 1K23HL143179; has received consulting fees from Procyrion, Merck, and Natera; and grant support has been paid to his institution from Abbott, Roche, Merck, and Bayer. Dr Sayer has received consulting fees from Abbott. Dr Kanwar is on the medical advisory board for Abiomed, CorWave, and CareDx. Dr Cowger has served as a consultant for Abbott, Medtronic, Bioventrix, Endotronix, Bivacor, and Procyrion; and has received grant support and speaker fees from Abbott. Dr Pagani has served as an AD hoc scientific advisor without compensation for FineHeart, Medtronic, CH Biomedical, and Abbott; has served as medical monitor for Abiomed; is a member of the data safety monitoring board for Carmat and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute PumpKIN clinical trial; and is Chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Intermacs Task Force. Dr Mehra has received travel support and consulting fees, paid to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, from Abbott; has received fees for serving on a steering committee from Medtronic and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson); has received fees for serving on a data and safety monitoring board from Mesoblast; has received consulting fees from Natera, Paragonix, Moderna, Baim Institute of Clinical Research, and Broadview Ventures; and has received fees for serving as a scientific board member from NuPulseCV, Leviticus, and FineHeart. Dr Cleveland has received fees from Abbott and Medtronic. Dr Desai is on the Speakers Bureau for Abbott. Drs Lu, Hu, Connolly, and Kormos are employees of Abbott. Dr Uriel is a medical advisory board member for Livemetric, Levitcus, and Revamp; and receives grant support from Abbott, Abiomed, and Fire 1. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute variceal hemorrhage (AVH) is a frequent cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in liver cirrhosis. Most cases require urgent endoscopic intervention due to potentially life-threatening courses. Different endoscopic hemostasis techniques can be used, in particular endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) and endoscopic sclerotherapy (EST), depending on the bleeding side (esophageal, fundal, and gastric) as well as radiological interventions (e.g., embolization and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt [TIPS]). This study aimed to investigate trends in incidence, treatment modalities, and outcome parameters, such as in-hospital mortality and adverse events in Germany. Methods: We evaluated the current epidemiological trends, therapeutic strategies, and in-hospital mortality of AVH in Germany based on the standardized hospital discharge data provided by the German Federal Statistical Office from 2010 to 2019. Results: A total of 65,357 AVH cases, predominately males (68.3%), were included in the analysis. The annual incidence rate (hospitalization cases per 100,000 persons) was 8.9. The in-hospital mortality was 18.6%. The most common underlying disease was alcohol-related liver cirrhosis (60.6%). The most common clinical complication was bleeding anemia (60.1%), whereas hypovolemic shock (12.8%) was the less frequent. In esophageal variceal hemorrhage (EVH), EVL was the most frequently performed endoscopic therapy, while in gastric variceal hemorrhage (GVH), EST and fibrin glue injection were the most commonly performed therapies. EVL showed the lowest in-hospital mortality (12.3%) in EVH, while EST showed favorable results (14% in-hospital mortality) in GVH. Combination therapies overall showed a higher in-hospital mortality and were more frequent in GVH. The presence of hypovolemic shock, AKI, sepsis, artificial ventilation, ARDS, bleeding anemia, hepatic encephalopathy, and male sex was associated with a significantly worse outcome. Conclusion: Our study provides detailed insight into the incidence, patient-related risk factors, endoscopic treatment, and in-hospital mortality in a sizeable AVH collective in Germany. These data might help improve risk stratification and treatment strategies for AVH patients in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Alexander Mertens et al.)

Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a clinical challenge in kidney failure. INSPIRE group assessed if machine learning could determine a hemodialysis (HD) patient's 180-day GIB hospitalization risk., Methods: An eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and logistic regression model were developed using an HD dataset in United States (2017-2020). Patient data was randomly split (50% training, 30% validation, and 20% testing). HD treatments ≤ 180 days before GIB hospitalization were classified as positive observations; others were negative. Models considered 1,303 exposures/covariates. Performance was measured using unseen testing data., Results: Incidence of 180-day GIB hospitalization was 1.18% in HD population (n = 451,579), and 1.12% in testing dataset (n = 38,853). XGBoost showed area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) = 0.74 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72, 0.76) versus logistic regression showed AUROC = 0.68 (95% CI 0.66, 0.71). Sensitivity and specificity were 65.3% (60.9, 69.7) and 68.0% (67.6, 68.5) for XGBoost versus 68.9% (64.7, 73.0) and 57.0% (56.5, 57.5) for logistic regression, respectively. Associations in exposures were consistent for many factors. Both models showed GIB hospitalization risk was associated with older age, disturbances in anemia/iron indices, recent all-cause hospitalizations, and bone mineral metabolism markers. XGBoost showed high importance on outcome prediction for serum 25 hydroxy (25OH) vitamin D levels, while logistic regression showed high importance for parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels., Conclusions: Machine learning can be considered for early detection of GIB event risk in HD. XGBoost outperforms logistic regression, yet both appear suitable. External and prospective validation of these models is needed. Association between bone mineral metabolism markers and GIB events was unexpected and warrants investigation., Trial Registration: This retrospective analysis of real-world data was not a prospective clinical trial and registration is not applicable., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: Colonoscopy-related adverse events increase the burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. This cross-sectional study evaluates adverse events during and after colonoscopy in a large, randomised CRC screening trial in Norway comparing sigmoidoscopy to immunochemical testing for faecal blood., Methods: We included all individuals who underwent colonoscopy at two screening centres between 2012 and 2020. From medical records, we retrieved data on adverse events during and within 30 days after colonoscopy and classified them according to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy lexicon for endoscopic adverse events. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to identify risk factors for adverse events., Results: Of the 10 244 included individuals, 242 (2.4%) had at least one adverse event that was possibly, probably, or definitively related to the colonoscopy. 188 (1.8%) had mild adverse events, 50 (0.49%) had moderate, 3 (0.03%) had severe, and 1 had a fatal adverse event. The most frequent adverse events were lower gastrointestinal bleeding (0.86%), abdominal pain (0.48%), vasovagal reaction (0.39%), postpolypectomy syndrome (0.20%), and perforation (0.08%). 23 (0.22%) individuals had non-gastrointestinal adverse events. Risk factors associated with adverse events were older age, female sex, screening centre, anticoagulant therapy, number of polypectomies, size of lesion removed, presence of proximal lesion, and adenocarcinoma. Adverse event rates per endoscopist ranged from 0% to 4.9%., Conclusion: Adverse events after colonoscopy of screening positives occurred in about 2 out of 100 procedures. Three-quarters of events were mild. Awareness of risk factors may help endoscopists to mitigate the risk., Trial Registration Number: NCT01538550., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The bowel preparation used for colonoscopy was provided free of charge by Ferring Pharmaceuticals. SOF reports Chairman, The Norwegian Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism; Council Member, European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism outside of the submitted work., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Patients on nonvitamin K antagonist (NVKA) are usually taking other drugs. Potential interaction may increase the gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding risk associated with NVKA., Methods: Observational cohort study using Medicare data from 2017 to 2020. Participants receiving a NVKA were included. A concomitant overlapping period while on NVKA was assessed for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), antiplatelets, glucocorticoids, aspirin and proton pump inhibitors (PPI). A logistic regression predicting either any bleeding or GI bleeding was conducted estimating the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI)., Results: A total of 102 531 people on NVKA with mean age 77 years (SD = 9.8) and 55% females (N = 56 671) were included. Previous history of GI bleeding occurred in 2 908 (2.8%) participants, concomitant exposure to PPI occurred in 38 713 (38%), SSRI in 16 487 (16%), clopidogrel in 15 795 (15.4%), NSAIDs in 13 715 (13.4%) and glucocorticoids in 13 715 (13.4%). Risk for any bleeding was shown for clopidogrel (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.30, 1.44), prasugrel/ticagrelor (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.58), glucocorticoids (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.34), and SSRIs (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.19). GI bleeding risk was shown for clopidogrel (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.34, 1.55), prasugrel/ticagrelor (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.79), SSRIs (OR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.17) and glucocorticoids (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.23, 1.44). PPI use was correlated with both NSAID (r = 0.07, p ≤ 0.0001) and SSRI use (r = 0.09, p ≤ 0.0001)., Conclusion: NVKA concomitantly taken with antiplatelets, glucocorticoids, and SSRIs showed an increased risk for any bleeding and GI bleeding., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Cardiology published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of hydrocortisone-associated gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in infants <3 months and compare rates with or without stress ulcer prophylaxis., Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of NICU patients <3 months who received hydrocortisone for hypotension. Three logistic regressions were conducted for adjusted associations between GIB, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), or infection and clinical characteristics., Results: Of 233 patients included, 54 (23.2%) received SUP; the majority (96.3%) received histamine-2 receptor antagonists. Median postmenstrual and postnatal age at hydrocortisone initiation was 33.3 weeks and 2 days. GIB occurred in 22 patients (9.4%), with no difference in GIB (11.1% versus 8.9%, p = 0.632) or SUP-associated adverse effects (50.0% versus 52.0%, p = 0.80) with and without SUP. SUP was not associated with GIB, NEC, or infection when controlling for confounders., Conclusion: GIB occurred in 9.4% of patients. SUP did not provide benefit for GIB prevention and was not associated with increased risk of adverse effects., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Background: Terlipressin has been widely used for various cirrhosis-related complications, but its safety profile remains controversial. Herein, this issue was systematically evaluated., Methods: All studies reporting adverse events (AEs) of terlipressin in cirrhosis were screened. Incidences were pooled using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the patient's characteristics and treatment regimens. Interaction among subgroups was evaluated., Results: Seventy-eight studies with 7257 patients with cirrhosis were included. The pooled incidences of any AEs, treatment-related AEs, any serious AEs (SAEs), treatment-related SAEs, treatment withdrawal due to AEs, and treatment withdrawal due to treatment-related AEs were 31%, 22%, 5%, 5%, 4%, and 4% in patients with cirrhosis receiving terlipressin, respectively. Patients with hepatorenal syndrome had higher incidences of any SAEs (29% vs. 0% vs. 0%, pinteraction = 0.01) and treatment-related SAEs (8% vs. 1% vs. 7%, pinteraction = 0.02) than those with variceal bleeding or ascites. Patients who received terlipressin with human albumin had higher incidences of any SAEs (18% vs. 1%, pinteraction = 0.04) and treatment-related SAEs (7% vs. 0%, pinteraction = 0.09) than those without albumin. Patients with total bilirubin level >4.3 mg/dL had higher incidences of any AEs (69% vs. 24%, pinteraction = 0.02), any SAEs (64% vs. 0%, pinteraction < 0.01), and treatment-related SAEs (8% vs. 1%, pinteraction = 0.04) than those ≤4.3 mg/dL., Conclusions: AEs are common in patients with cirrhosis receiving terlipressin and influenced by clinical scenarios, combination with albumin, and bilirubin levels., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.)

Background/aims: Early studies on direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) reported a higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) compared with warfarin; however, recent studies have reported a reduced risk. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the risk of GIB in users of DOAC and warfarin., Methods: Using a common data model, we investigated the comparative risk of GIB in subjects from eight hospitals who were newly prescribed DOACs or warfarin. We excluded subjects who had a prior history of GIB or had been prescribed both medications. After propensity score matching, we analyzed 3,347 matched pairs of new DOAC and new warfarin users., Results: The risk of GIB in new DOAC users was comparable to that in new warfarin users (hazard ratio [HR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65 to 1.40; p=0.808). New DOAC users had a similar risk of GIB to new warfarin users among older patients >65 years (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.52; p=0.997) and in older patients >75 years (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.68 to 2.10; p=0.509). In addition, the risk of GIB was not significantly different between two groups according to sex. We also found that the risk of GIB in DOAC users was 26% lower in edoxaban or apixaban subgroups compared to rivaroxaban or dabigatran subgroups (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.00; p=0.049)., Conclusions: In real-world practice, the risk of GIB in new DOAC users is comparable to that in new warfarin users. In DOAC users, the risk of GIB was lower in edoxaban or apixaban subgroups than rivaroxaban or dabigatran subgroups.

Background/aims: The incidence of acute gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) increases with the utilization of anticoagulant and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This study aimed to compare the risk of GIB between anticoagulant and NSAIDs combotherapy and anticoagulant monotherapy in real-world practice., Methods: We investigated the relative risk of GIB in individuals newly prescribed anticoagulant and NSAIDs combination therapy and that in individuals newly prescribed anticoagulant monotherapy at three hospitals using "common data model." Cox proportional hazard models and Kaplan-Meier estimation were employed for risk comparison after propensity score matching., Results: A comprehensive analysis of 2,951 matched pairs showed that patients who received anticoagulant and NSAIDs combousers exhibited a significantly higher risk of GIB than those who received anticoagulant monousers (hazard ratio [HR], 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30 to 2.12; p<0.001). The risk of GIB associated with anticoagulant and NSAIDs combination therapy was also significantly higher than that associated with anticoagulant monotherapy in patients aged >65 years (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.03; p=0.003) and >75 years (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.23 to 2.90; p=0.003). We also found that the risk of GIB was significantly higher in the patients who received anticoagulant and NSAIDs combousers than that in patients who received anticoagulant monousers in both male (p=0.016) and female cohorts (p=0.010)., Conclusions: The risk of GIB is significantly higher in patients who receive anticoagulant and NSAIDs combotherapy than that in patients who receive anticoagulant monotherapy. In addition, the risk of GIB associated with anticoagulant and NSAIDs combotherapy was much higher in individuals aged >75 years. Therefore, physicians should be more aware of pay more attention to the risk of GIB when they prescribe anticoagulant and NSAIDs.

Background and Aims: Impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) awaiting liver transplantation (LT) remains poorly defined. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between T2DM and clinical outcomes among patients with LT waitlist registrants. We hypothesize that the presence of T2DM will be associated with worse clinical outcomes., Methods: 593 patients adult (age 18 years or older) who were registered for LT between 1/2010 and 1/2017 were included in this retrospective analysis. The impact of T2DM on liver-associated clinical events (LACE), survival, hospitalizations, need for renal replacement therapy, and likelihood of receiving LT were evaluated over a 12-month period. LACE was defined as variceal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy, and ascites. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis were used to determine the association between T2DM and clinical outcomes., Results: The baseline prevalence of T2DM was 32% (n = 191) and patients with T2DM were more likely to have esophageal varices (61% vs. 47%, p = 0.002) and history of variceal hemorrhage (23% vs. 16%, p = 0.03). The presence of T2DM was associated with increased risk of incident ascites (HR 1.91, 95% CI 1.11, 3.28, p = 0.019). Patients with T2DM were more likely to require hospitalizations (56% vs. 49%, p = 0.06), hospitalized with portal hypertension-related complications (22% vs. 14%; p = 0.026), and require renal replacement therapy during their hospitalization. Patients with T2DM were less likely to receive a LT (37% vs. 45%; p = 0.03). Regarding MELD labs, patients with T2DM had significantly lower bilirubin at each follow-up; however, no differences in INR and creatinine were noted., Conclusion: Patients with T2DM are at increased risk of clinical outcomes. This risk is not captured in MELD score, which may potentially negatively affect their likelihood of receiving LT., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Guidelines provide various recommendations for the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) to prevent upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding in acute myocardial infarction (MI) treatment with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). We evaluated the effects of PPIs in reducing the risk of severe UGI bleeding in patients with MI receiving DAPT., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients admitted for acute MI between 2014 and 2018, based on a nationwide health claims database in Korea. Primary outcome was admission for severe UGI bleeding requiring transfusion within 1 year of MI diagnosis. A multivariable Cox regression model was used to calculate the association between PPI use and severe UGI bleeding risk., Results: Of 100,556 patients with MI on DAPT (mean age, 63.7 years; 75.4% men), 37% were prescribed PPIs. Based on risk assessment for UGI bleeding, among 6,392 (6.4%) high-risk and 94,164 (93.6%) low-risk patients, 50.5% and 35.8% received PPIs, respectively. Overall, 0.5% of the patients experienced severe UGI bleeding within 1 year after MI. The use of PPI was associated with a reduced risk of severe UGI bleeding (hazard ratio [HR], 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47-0.70; P < 0.001). The benefits of PPIs were consistent in high-risk (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.45-1.13; P = 0.147) and low-risk (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.43-0.68; P < 0.001) patients (P for interaction = 0.481)., Conclusions: Among Korean patients with MI receiving DAPT, PPIs were underutilized, even among those at high risk of severe UGI bleeding. Nonetheless, PPI use reduced severe UGI bleeding in low- and high-risk groups., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common complication of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Rate pressure product (RPP) is an objective hemodynamic index that is closely related to the prognosis of cardia-cerebrovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between RPP and GIB in ICH patients., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from ICH patients admitted to the neurosurgery department of Nanchang University affiliated with Ganzhou Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. The patients were divided into a GIB group and a non-GIB group according to whether they had GIB. Propensity score matching was used to match between the two groups. Univariate analysis was used to select factors affecting GIB, and multivariate conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the independent factors associated with GIB., Results: There were 1232 patients included in the study, including 182 in the GIB group and 1050 in the non-GIB group, and 182 pairs of patients were successfully matched through propensity score matching. The univariate analysis showed that high RPP, low Glasgow coma score (GCS), fibrinogen, D-dimer and PPIs were factors associated with GIB. Multivariate conditional logistic regression showed that high RPP, low GCS and urokinase were independent risk factors for GIB, and PPIs was a protective factor for GIB., Conclusions: High RPP, low GCS and urokinase were independent risk factors for GIB, and PPIs was a protective factor for GIB. Patients with a high risk of developing GIB should be monitored closely. Nevertheless, multicenter prospective studies with more patients are needed to further validate the results., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The incidence of major gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in patients on low-dose direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is relatively unknown. Estimates from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are lacking., Aims: To assess GIB incidence and predictors from RCT data of patients on aspirin, low-dose rivaroxaban, or both., Methods: This was a secondary analysis of RCT data wherein patients received aspirin 100 mg daily and rivaroxaban 2.5 mg b.d., aspirin alone, or rivaroxaban 5 mg b.d. Patients were followed from 2013 to 2016 at 602 centres. Outcomes included overall, upper, and lower GIB. We employed multivariable logistic regression to yield odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals for potential exposures., Results: Among 27,395 patients, the annual incidence of GIB on rivaroxaban 2.5 mg b.d. with aspirin was 801.7 per 100,000 compared with 372.3 in 100,000 for aspirin. Age (OR 4.16, 2.53-6.82 for ≥75 vs. 55-64), peptic ulcer disease (PUD, OR 1.57, 1.01-2.44), liver disease (OR 2.09, 1.01-4.33), hypertension (OR 1.42, 1.04-1.94), and smoking (OR 1.85, 1.26-2.73) were associated with overall GIB. Kidney disease (OR 1.68, 1.12-2.51) was significantly associated with upper GIB, whereas diverticular disease (OR 3.75, 1.88-7.49) was associated with lower GIB. Addition of rivaroxaban to aspirin was associated more with lower GIB (OR 2.82, 1.64-4.84) than upper GIB (OR 1.86, 1.18-2.92)., Conclusions: We established incidences and identified risk factors for GIB in users of low-dose DOACs. Novel risk factors included current or former smoking and diverticulosis. Future studies should aim to validate these risk factors., (© 2024 The Author(s). Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become widely used for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, DOAC-associated bleeding complications remain challenging, especially in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. This study aimed to compare the bleeding outcomes between patients with upper or lower GI cancers and those without GI cancer., Methods: Using the COMMAND VTE Registry-2 database, which is a multicenter registry enrolling 5197 consecutive acute symptomatic VTE patients among 31 centers in Japan between January 2015 and August 2020, we identified 1149 active cancer patients with DOACs (upper GI cancer: N = 88; lower GI cancer: N = 114; non-GI cancer: N = 947). The primary outcome was major bleeding during anticoagulation therapy, which was evaluated in the competing risk regression model., Results: The upper GI cancer group had a lower mean body weight, and most often had anemia. The cumulative 5-year incidence of major bleeding was higher in the upper GI cancer group (upper GI cancer: 22.4 %, lower GI cancer: 15.4 %, and non-GI cancer: 11.6 %, P = 0.015). The most frequent major bleeding site in the upper GI cancer group was the upper GI (53 %), followed by the lower GI (24 %). After adjusting for the confounders, the excess risk in upper GI cancer relative to non-GI cancer remained significant for major bleeding (adjusted subhazard ratio, 2.25; 95 %CI, 1.31-3.87, P = 0.003), but that in lower GI cancer was insignificant., Conclusions: Upper GI cancer, but not lower GI cancer, as compared to non-GI cancer was associated with a higher risk for major bleeding during anticoagulation therapy with DOACs., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index.htm Unique identifier: UMIN000044816., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. Nishimoto received lecture fees from Bayer Healthcare, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Yamashita received lecture fees from Bayer Healthcare, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and Daiichi Sankyo, and grant support from Bayer Healthcare and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Morimoto reports lecturer's fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Japan Lifeline, Kowa, Kyocera, Novartis, and Toray; manuscript fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Kowa; advisory board for Sanofi. Dr. Kaneda received lecture fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Ikeda N. received lecture fees from Bayer Healthcare, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Ikeda S. received lecture fees from Bayer Healthcare, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Daiichi Sankyo. All other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The frequency and risk factors for gastrointestinal bleed (GIB) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have not been extensively researched., Objective: We aim to assess the frequency of GIB in this subset of patients and identify potential risk factors for bleeding. This study will evaluate the frequency of commonly used antiplatelet and anticoagulation agents in the HFrEF population, as well as look at some of the endoscopic features of the GIB., Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of 670 patients admitted between November 2021 to August 2023 to a single urban, tertiary teaching institution with acute HFrEF ICD-10 codes. Upper or lower GIB (hematemesis, coffee ground emesis, melena or hematochezia during admission) was identified on a manual chart review. Patients with GIB were defined as our cases. No GIB was defined as our controls. Sub analysis included comparing the use of anticoagulant and antiplatelet between the cohort. Independent t test assessed statistical differences in the case and control groups RESULTS: Out of the 670 patients, 134 (20%) were identified with GIB. The cases were older than the controls (median age 77 vs. 70 years) (p = 0.001), had a lower hemoglobin (9 g/dL vs. 12 g/dL) (p =<0.05), and had higher BNP levels (7,938 pg/ml vs. 6472 pg/ml) (IQR: 3,239, 23,701) (p =<0.01). Among the anticoagulant users, 64% of cases were on an anticoagulant compared to 42% of the controls (p<0.05). Among the antiplatelet users, 68% of the controls were on one or more antiplatelet agents, compared to 52% in the controls (p = 0.01). When combining AC and AP treatment, there was no statistical difference between cases and controls. Ninety-three (69%) patients from cases had cross-sectional imaging with only 23 (25%) showing abnormal findings which included diverticulosis, colitis, and GI masses. When comparing upper endoscopy findings, the presence of esophageal diseases (esophagitis and esophageal varices) and gastric/duodenal diseases (gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and AVM) were significantly higher in cases compared to controls (p < 0.05). In addition to the colonoscopy findings, polyps and diverticulosis were more prevalent in the cases compared to the controls (p = 0.01)., Conclusion: Heart failure patients are at risk of developing GIB. Age and high BNP on admission are risk factors for GIB, the higher the BNP levels the higher risk of GIB. Anticoagulant and antiplatelet use are associated with a higher risk of bleeding. However, the addition of dual antiplatelet therapy or concurrent antiplatelet and anticoagulation does not increase the risk of GIB. Some of the most common upper endoscopy findings include esophagitis/gastritis and esophageal/gastric ulcer. In terms of colonoscopy, findings include colonic mass, diverticulosis and hemorrhoids., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: Gastrointestinal bleeding is an important gastrointestinal complication among peritoneal dialysis patients and correlated with a higher risk of mortality. Increased uric acid levels are a significant complication for peritoneal dialysis patients and have been associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid levels and gastrointestinal bleeding in peritoneal dialysis patients., Methods: A total of 2498 peritoneal dialysis patients were recruited. Based on the optimal uric acid cutoff value, two groups of patients were divided. We constructed a propensity-score-matched population of 1762 patients by matching sex, age, and body mass index. Survival outcomes between the two groups were compared using adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves. We constructed the restricted cubic splines regression to assess the correlation between levels of uric acid and gastrointestinal bleeding. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to test whether higher levels of uric acid are an independent risk factor for gastrointestinal bleeding. We performed a forest plot to show interaction effects in different subgroups., Results: According to restricted cubic splines regression, uric acid levels were positively correlated with the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding events. After adjusted different confounding factors, patients with high levels of uric acid were prone to experience gastrointestinal bleeding (HR 1.868, 95%CI 1.001-3.486). In subgroups, the interaction between higher levels of uric acid and utilizing proton pump inhibitors was significant (P for interaction = 0.034). Further research found that taking proton pump inhibitors could decrease the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in peritoneal dialysis patients accompanied high levels of uric acid., Conclusion: The baseline high levels of uric acid are an independent risk factor for gastrointestinal bleeding in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Background: The impact of chronic oral anticoagulant (OACs) use on long-term post-discharge outcomes after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalisation remains unclear. Herein, we compared clinical outcomes up to 2-years after COVID-19 hospitalisation between patients on vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), direct-acting OACs (DOACs) and no OAC therapy., Methods: Data from TriNetX, a global federated health research network, were used. Adult patients on VKAs, DOACs or no OAC therapy at diagnosis of COVID-19 between 20 January 2020 and 31 December 2021, who were hospitalised for COVID-19, were included. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA)/systemic embolism (SE) and the composite of intracranial haemorrhage (ICH)/gastrointestinal bleeding, at 2 years after COVID-19 hospitalisation., Results: We included 110,834 patients with COVID-19. Following propensity score matching (PSM), we identified a decreased mortality risk in DOAC-treated patients compared to the no OAC cohort (RR .808, 95% CI .751-.870). A higher risk of ischaemic stroke/TIA/SE was observed in VKA users compared to DOAC users (RR 1.100, 95% CI 1.020-1.220) and in VKA users compared to patients not taking OAC (RR 1.400, 95% CI 1.140-1.720). VKA use was associated with a greater risk of ICH/gastrointestinal bleeding than DOAC users (RR 1.198, 95% CI 1.066-1.347), while DOAC users had a lower risk compared to no OAC-treated patients (RR .840, 95% CI .754-.936)., Conclusion: COVID-19 patients taking prior DOACs were associated with lower long-term mortality risk and ICH/gastrointestinal bleeding than patients not taking OAC. Compared to patients on DOACs, VKA users were associated with higher risks of mortality, ischaemic stroke/TIA/SE and ICH/gastrointestinal bleeding., (© 2024 The Author(s). European Journal of Clinical Investigation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.)

Background: Portal hypertension is a common diagnosis in Sub-Saharan African countries, with the majority of patients presenting late. This study aimed to understand Clinical characteristics, aetiology, the treatment offered in our setting, and factors associated with portal hypertension at a tertiary-level hospital, in Tanzania., Methodology: A prospective cross-sectional observational single hospital-based study was conducted at MNH, from May 2021 to April 2022. A minimum of 152 subjects were required with an error of less than 5% and a study power of 80% at a 95% confidence interval. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Ethical clearance was obtained from the MUHAS/MNH IRB., Results: A total of 154 eligible participants consented and participated in this study. The mean age of participants was 42 ± 15.8 years (range 2-87). Most of the study participants were males 64.9% with a male-to-female (M: F) ratio of 1.8:1. Vomiting blood was the common symptom among the study participants 51.3%. Schistosomiasis 53.9% and viral infection 26.6% were the common etiologies followed by alcohol abuse 7.8%. Most were medically treated at 89.61% followed by radiological treatment at 8.44% while only 1.95% of patients received surgical treatment. There was a significant association between the grade of oesophagal varices and bleeding consequences (p-value < 0.01)., Conclusion: The majority of patients were medically treated while patients who require surgical care are unable to assess it. We recommend the establishment of a transplant services program to counteract the unmet need and more retrospective research toward policy establishment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The placement of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters often emerges as an alternative preventative measure against pulmonary embolism in patients with upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and isolated distal deep vein thrombosis (DVT). We aimed to investigate the association of IVC filter placement and the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence in this patient population., Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study including 450 patients with upper GI bleeding and isolated distal DVT. Propensity score matching using logistic regression was conducted to mitigate potential selection bias. Logistic regression models and additional sensitivity analyses were conducted to estimate the association between IVC filter implantation and VTE recurrence. Interaction and stratified analyses were also performed according to the background covariates., Results: Patients who underwent IVC filter placement were significantly younger than patients in the surveillance group (55.8 ± 9.0 vs 58.4 ± 11.2 years, p = 0.034). Patients in the IVC filter group demonstrated a higher distal thrombus burden. The VTE recurrence composite was significantly higher in patients who underwent IVC filter placement (44.1% [45/102] vs 25% [87/348], p < 0.001). Unmatched crude logistic regression analysis identified a significant association between IVC filter placement and VTE recurrence composite (OR = 2.37; 95% CI, 1.50-3.75). Sensitivity analyses yielded congruent outcomes., Conclusion: This study revealed an increased risk of VTE recurrence among patients receiving IVC filter placement, suggesting that IVC filter placement may not be suitable as a primary treatment for patients with upper GI bleeding and isolated distal DVT., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: There is substantial variability in patient outcomes for gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) across hospitals. This study aimed to identify hospital factors associated with GIB outcomes., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries hospitalized for GIB from 2016 to 2018. These data were merged with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey data to incorporate hospital characteristics. We used generalized linear mixed-effect models to estimate the effect of hospital-level characteristics on patient outcomes after adjusting for patient risk factors including anticoagulant and antiplatelet use, recent GIB, and comorbidities. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality, and secondary outcomes included length of stay and a composite outcome of 30-day readmission or mortality., Results: Factors associated with improved GIB 30-day mortality included large hospital size (defined as beds >400, odds ratio [OR] 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.90-0.97), greater case volume (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98), increased resident and nurse staffing (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.83-0.94), and blood donor center designation (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.99). Patients treated at a hospital with multiple advanced capabilities, such as availability of advanced endoscopy, advanced intensive care unit (ICU) capabilities (both a medical-surgical ICU and cardiac ICU), blood donor center, and liver transplant center, had a 22% reduction in 30-day mortality risk, compared with those hospitalized in a hospital with none of these services (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.68-0.91). However, length of stay increased with additional services., Discussion: Patients hospitalized for GIB at hospitals with multiple advanced specialized capabilities have lower mortality but longer lengths of stay. Further research should examine the processes of care linked to these services that contribute to improved mortality in GIB., (Copyright © 2024 by The American College of Gastroenterology.)

Background: Overt gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a potentially serious and life-threatening condition in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, relatively little information is available regarding overt GIB in children., Objectives: To assess the prevalence, clinical patterns, and outcomes of overt GIB in children undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT)., Methods: A total of 123 consecutive patients with malignant or non-malignant blood disorders who received haplo-HSCT were reviewed in our hospital between October 2017 and October 2022. Overt GIB was determined as hematemesis, melena or hematochezia. Continuous variables were compared by Mann Whitney U test. Categorical parameters were compared by the χ 2 test or Fisher's exact test. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to assess overall survival (OS), non-relapse mortality (NRM) and relapse. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors of overt GIB development., Results: The median follow-up was 26.3 (range,1.7-74.8) months. Overt GIB occurred in 31 patients (25.2% incidence), with a median time elapsed after haplo-HSCT of 376 days (range, 58-1275 days). Compared with the non-GIB group, patients with overt GIB had reduced OS and increased NRM. In multivariate analysis, grade III-IV gut acute graft versus-host disease (aGvHD), thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia were significant risk factors for the occurrence of overt GIB after haplo-HSCT., Conclusions: Overt GIB is a frequent complication after haplo-HSCT in pediatric patients, and associated with worse survival. Grade III-IV gut aGvHD, TMA and CMV viremia were associated with its development., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly prescribed for gastroprotection in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), who are at increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding due to antiplatelet therapy. However, emerging evidence suggests that PPIs may adversely impact cardiovascular outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to assess the relationship between using PPIs and cardiovascular outcomes in patients following PCI., Methods: We searched various databases up to March 15, 2024, for observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the cardiovascular effects of PPIs in PCI patients. Data were extracted on study characteristics, patient demographics, PPI use, and cardiovascular outcomes. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2 assessed study quality. Meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model using R software version 4.3., Results: A total of 21 studies involving diverse populations and study designs were included. Observational studies suggested a moderate increase in risk for composite cardiovascular diseases (CVD), myocardial infarction (MI), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) associated with PPI use, with pooled hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.20 (95% CI: 1.093-1.308) for CVD, 1.186 (95% CI: 1.069-1.303) for MI, and 1.155 (95% CI: 1.001-1.309) for MACE. However, RCTs showed no significant link between PPI therapy and negative cardiovascular events (Relative Risk: 1.016, 95% CI: 0.878-1.175). Substantial heterogeneity was observed among observational studies but not RCTs., Conclusion: The findings indicate that while observational studies suggest a potential risk of adverse cardiovascular events with post-PCI use of PPI, RCTs do not support this association. Further large-scale, high-quality studies are required to understand the cardiovascular implications of individual PPIs better and optimize patient management post-PCI. This analysis shows the complexity of PPI use in patients with coronary artery diseases and the necessity to balance gastroprotective benefits against potential cardiovascular risks., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background/aim: The comparative risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) among users of direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) versus vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) is a topic of ongoing debate. This study leverages a comprehensive national health database to evaluate the incidence of GIB, associated risk factors, and postbleeding management strategies among anticoagulated patients., Materials and Methods: Utilizing the Turkish Ministry of Health's e-Nabız system, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patients treated with DOACs and warfarin from January 2017 to July 2023. GIB events were identified using ICD codes, and comorbidities, prior medication use, interventions, and mortality rates were analyzed. Drug survival and patterns of changes following GIB were also evaluated., Results: Among 102,545 patients with a GIB event during anticoagulant treatment, DOAC users were older with a higher prevalence of comorbidities, except for chronic obstructive lung disease, compared to VKA users. GIB-related mortality was 0.6% in the DOAC group and 0.4% in the VKA group at admission after the GIB (p < 0.01). In all drug groups, approximately half of the patients discontinued anticoagulation due to GIB after 3 months, the rate being highest with apixaban (61.9%). In patients who continued anticoagulation, the anticoagulant prior to GIB remained the most common agent in all groups, with rivaroxaban having the highest retention rate (40.7%)., Conclusion: This nationwide study indicates a higher frequency of GIB in DOAC users versus VKA users, with age and comorbidities potentially contributing to this trend. Mortality rates were comparable to the previous literature but warrant further investigation. The significant rate of discontinuation following GIB raises concerns about ongoing anticoagulation management. These findings underscore the need for cautious case management., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: The authors declared no conflict of interest., (© TÜBİTAK.)

DA-9601 extracted from Artemisia asiatica contains a bioactive compound - eupatilin - that can protect against gastric mucosal damage through anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties and is approved for treating acute and chronic gastritis in Korea, but their ability to protect gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is unclear. We aimed to compare the protective effects of DA-9601 to those of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and rebamipide against upper and lower GI bleeding in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing long-term NSAIDs therapy using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database. In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, we evaluated patients with RA who concurrently received NSAIDs for >3 months with DA-9601, PPI, or rebamipide between January 2015 and December 2017. The index date was the date of NSAIDs initiation, and all patients were followed up until December 2020 to detect upper and lower GI bleeding. In total, 24,258 patients with RA were eligible, and 5468 (22.5%), 4417 (18.2%), and 14,373 (59.3%) received DA-9601, PPI, or rebamipide, respectively, on the index date. During follow-up, upper and lower GI bleeding occurred in 508 (2.1%) and 402 (1.6%) patients with RA, respectively. The incidence rate of upper and lower GI bleeding was 615/100,000 and 485/100,000 person-years, respectively. Among patients with RA receiving DA-9601, PPI, or rebamipide, the frequencies of NSAIDs-induced upper GI bleeding were 0.5%, 0.4%, and 1.2%, respectively. The frequencies of NSAIDs-induced lower GI bleeding were 0.4%, 0.4%, and 0.9%, respectively. The incidence of NSAIDs-induced upper GI bleeding in patients with RA receiving DA-9601, PPI, and rebamipide was 601/100,000, 705/100,000, and 596/100,000 person-years, respectively, while the incidence of NSAIDs-induced lower GI bleeding in the same groups was 449/100,000, 608/100,000, and 465/100,000 person-years, respectively. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, no significant difference was observed in lower and upper GI bleeding hazards between patients with RA using DA-9601, PPI, and rebamipide. Our results suggest that DA-9601 may exhibit protection against NSAIDs-induced GI bleeding that is comparable to those of PPI and rebamipide in patients with RA., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) and gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) are common medical complications after stroke. The previous study suggested a strong association between SAP and GIB after stroke. However, little is known about the time sequence of SAP and GIB. In the present study, we aimed to verify the association and clarify the temporal sequence of SAP and GIB after ischemic stroke., Methods: Patients with ischemic stroke from in-hospital Medical Complication after Acute Stroke study were analyzed. Data on occurrences of SAP and GIB during hospitalization and the intervals from stroke onset to diagnosis of SAP and GIB were collected. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between SAP and GIB. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the time intervals from stroke onset to diagnosis of SAP and GIB., Results: A total of 1129 patients with ischemic stroke were included. The median length of hospitalization was 14 days. Overall, 86 patients (7.6%; 95% CI, 6.1-9.2%) developed SAP and 47 patients (4.3%; 95% CI, 3.0-5.3%) developed GIB during hospitalization. After adjusting potential confounders, SAP was significantly associated with the development of GIB after ischemic stroke (OR = 5.13; 95% CI, 2.02-13.00; P < 0.001). The median time from stroke onset to diagnosis of SAP was shorter than that of GIB after ischemic stroke (4 days vs. 5 days; P = 0.039)., Conclusions: SAP was associated with GIB after ischemic stroke, and the onset time of SAP was earlier than that of GIB. It is imperative to take precautions to prevent GIB in stroke patients with SAP., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing dialysis, the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) remains debatable. From the national health insurance claims data in South Korea, we included 425 new users of OAC among patients with non-valvular AF and ESRD undergoing dialysis between 2013 and 2020. Patients were categorized into DOAC (n = 106) and warfarin group (n = 319). Clinical outcomes, including ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, were compared between the two groups using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis. During the median follow-up of 3.2 years, the incidence of ischemic stroke was significantly reduced in the DOAC compared to the warfarin group [Hazard ratio (HR) 0.07; P = 0.001]. However, the incidence of MI (HR 1.32; P = 0.41) and GI bleeding (HR 1.78; P = 0.06) were not significantly different between the two groups. No ICH events occurred in the DOAC group, although the incidence rate did not differ significantly between the two groups (P = 0.17). In Asian patients with AF and ESRD undergoing dialysis, DOACs may be associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke compared with warfarin. The MI, ICH, and GI bleeding rates may be comparable between DOACs and warfarin., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Importance: Despite biological plausibility, very few epidemiologic studies have investigated the risks of clinically significant bleeding events due to particulate air pollution., Objective: To measure the independent and synergistic effects of PM 2.5 exposure and anticoagulant use on serious bleeding events., Design: Retrospective cohort study (2008-2016)., Setting: Nationwide Medicare population., Participants: A 50% random sample of Medicare Part D-eligible Fee-for-Service beneficiaries at high risk for cardiovascular and thromboembolic events., Exposures: Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and anticoagulant drugs (apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, rivaroxaban, or warfarin)., Main Outcomes and Measures: The outcomes were acute hospitalizations for gastrointestinal bleeding, intracranial bleeding, or epistaxis. Hazard ratios and 95% CIs for PM 2.5 exposure were estimated by fitting inverse probability weighted marginal structural Cox proportional hazards models. The relative excess risk due to interaction was used to assess additive-scale interaction between PM 2.5 exposure and anticoagulant use., Results: The study cohort included 1.86 million high-risk older adults (mean age 77, 60% male, 87% White, 8% Black, 30% anticoagulant users, mean PM 2.5 exposure 8.81 μg/m 3 ). A 10 μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 was associated with a 48% (95% CI: 45%-52%), 58% (95% CI: 49%-68%) and 55% (95% CI: 37%-76%) increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, intracranial bleeding, and epistaxis, respectively. Significant additive interaction between PM 2.5 exposure and anticoagulant use was observed for gastrointestinal and intracranial bleeding., Conclusions: Among older adults at high risk for cardiovascular and thromboembolic events, increasing PM 2.5 exposure was significantly associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, intracranial bleeding, and epistaxis. In addition, PM 2.5 exposure and anticoagulant use may act together to increase risks of severe gastrointestinal and intracranial bleeding. Thus, clinicians may recommend that high-risk individuals limit their outdoor air pollution exposure during periods of increased PM 2.5 concentrations. Our findings may inform environmental policies to protect the health of vulnerable populations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Rachel C. Nethery reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a disease demonstrating increasing morbidity and mortality, especially in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Studies have shown that aspirin can reduce the incidence of liver cancer; however, the degree of benefit in patients with viral hepatitis is unclear. This study focused on the association between aspirin use and HCC risk in patients with chronic viral hepatitis., Methods: A systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases was performed from the earliest available date to December 16, 2023. The primary outcome was HCC incidence, and the secondary outcome was gastrointestinal bleeding. The results were expressed as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Meta-analyses were performed by using random or fixed-effects models based on the heterogeneity assessed via the I 2 statistic., Results: A total of 13 articles (303,414 participants and 14,423 HCC patients) were included in the analysis. The incidence of HCC in aspirin users was lower than that in non-aspirin users (HR 0.75; 95% CI, 0.68-0.83; P < 0.001; I 2  = 90.0%). Subgroup analysis further showed that this effect may be more obvious in HCV patients, non-cirrhotic patients, patients with statins, and long-term aspirin users, but it may have the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding (HR 1.13; 95% CI, 1.07-1.20; P = 0.906; I 2  = 0.0%)., Conclusions: Our meta-analysis shows that in patients with chronic viral hepatitis, aspirin use is associated with a significantly reduced risk of liver cancer, but attention should be paid to the possible risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, and this conclusion needs further validation in the future., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To analyse the preva lence of complications related to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients achieving target temperature management within 360 minutes compared to those taking more than 360 minutes., Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at a medical centre in Taiwan, and comprised data from Januar y 1, 2014, to December 31, 2020. Data was retrieved using the International Classification of Diseases version 10 codes I46.2, I46.8 and I46.9 related to adult patients of either gender presenting to the Emergenc y Medicine department with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Data included gender, age, medical histor y, body mass index, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score, blood glucose levels, electrocardiogram results, and complications occurring within the target temperature management timeframe. Data was divided into group A having patients who achieved target temperature management within 360 minutes, and group B having patients with delayed TTM of more than 360 minutes. Data was analysed using SPSS 22., Results: Of the 127 patients, 76(59%) were males, 51(41%) were females,, 47(37%) were aged >75 years, and 13(10.3%) were aged <50 years. Of the total, 65(51.2%) patients were in group A, and 62(48.8%) were in group B. Pneumonia, urinary tract infection, septic shock and gastrointestinal bleeding had lower incidence rates in group A than group B (p<0.05). The odds of death were 2.879 times high er in group B patients than group A (95% confidence interval: 1.908-8.916)., Conclusions: Hypothermia tre atment should be sta rted as soon as pos sible to achieve target temp erature management within 360 minutes to reduce the risk of complications and mortality.

Background: During systemic therapy, the management of portal hypertension (PH)-related complications is vital. This study aimed to clarify factors associated with the incidence and exacerbation of PH-related complications, including the usefulness of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in the management of PH-related complications during systemic therapy., Methods: A total of 669 patients who received systemic therapy as first-line treatment (443 patients for sorafenib, 131 for lenvatinib, and 90 for atezolizumab/bevacizumab [ATZ/BEV]) were enrolled in this retrospective study. Additionally, the lower esophageal intramural vessel diameters (EIV) on CECT and endoscopic findings in 358 patients were compared., Results: The cutoff values of the EIV diameter on CECT were 3.1 mm for small, 5.1 mm for medium, and 7.6 mm for large varices, demonstrating high concordance with the endoscopic findings. esophageal varices (EV) bleeding predictors include EIV ≥ 3.1 mm and portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). In patients without EV before systemic therapy, factors associated with EV exacerbation after 3 months were EIV ≥ 1.9 mm and ATZ/BEV use. Predictors of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) include the ammonia level or portosystemic shunt diameter ≥ 6.8 mm. The incidence of HE within 2 weeks was significantly higher (18%) in patients with an ammonia level ≥ 73 μmol/L and a portosystemic shunt ≥ 6.8 mm. The exacerbating factors for ascites after 3 months were PVTT and low albumin levels., Conclusions: Careful management is warranted for patients with risk factors for exacerbation of PH-related complications; moreover, the effective use of CECT is clinically important., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background National guidelines no longer recommend adults 60 years of age and older to begin treatment with low-dose daily aspirin for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to a lack of proven net benefit and a higher risk of bleeding. Objective The objective of this cross-sectional retrospective analysis was to evaluate the appropriateness of low-dose aspirin prescribing and subsequent gastrointestinal bleeding in older persons receiving primary care in a large academic health system. Setting Large, academic health system within Colorado. Patients Patients with an active order for daily low-dose aspirin as of July 1, 2021, were assessed for appropriateness based on indication (primary vs secondary prevention) and use of a concomitant proton-pump inhibitor (PPI). Incident gastrointestinal bleeds (GIBs) in the subsequent 12 months and GIB risk factors were also evaluated. Results A total of 19,525 patients were included in the analysis. Eighty-nine percent of patients identified as White and 54% identified as male. Of the total cohort, 44% had CVD and 19% were co-prescribed a PPI. GIB occurred in 247 patients (1.27%) within the subsequent year. Risk factors significantly associated with a GIB within 1 year included: history of GIB, history of peptic ulcer disease, other esophageal issue (esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, Mallory Weiss tears, etc.), 75 years of age or older, and history of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Conclusion This evaluation found that many older persons at this institution may be inappropriately prescribed aspirin, providing opportunities for pharmacists to improve medication safety by deprescribing aspirin among primary prevention patients or potentially co-prescribing a PPI in secondary prevention patients.

Objective: To verify the incidence of bleeding events in patients on ongoing anticoagulant treatment in the real world and compare the results of different reversal or repletion strategies currently available for pharmacological treatment., Methods: Patients managed in the emergency department (ED) with major bleeding events, on ongoing anticoagulation were stratified according to bleeding site and reversal or repletion therapy with andexanet alfa (ADX), idarucizumab (IDA), prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC), and vitamin K (Vit-K)., Endpoint: Death at 30 days was compared in the subgroups with cerebral hemorrhage (CH) and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding., Results: Of the 809,397 visits in the years 2022-2023 at 6 EDs in the northwestern health district of Tuscany, 5372 patients with bleeding events were considered; 3740 were excluded due to minor bleeding or propensity score matching. Of the remaining 1632 patients with major bleeding, 548 on ongoing anticoagulation were enrolled; 334 received reversal or repletion agents. Patients with CH (n = 176) and GI bleeding (n = 108) represented the primary analysis cohorts in the study's strategic treatment assessment. Overall, 30-day survival of patients on ongoing aFXa treatment receiving on-label ADX versus off-label PCC showed a relative increase of 71%, while 30-day survival of patients on ongoing aFII receiving on-label IDA versus off-label PCC showed a relative increase of 30%; no substantial difference was found when comparing on-label PCC combined with Vit-K versus off-label Vit-K alone. Indeed, patients undergoing on-label ADX or IDA showed a statistically significant difference over off-label PCC (ADX vs. PCC: n = 15, events = 4, mean ± SD 82.50 ± 18.9, vs. 49, 13, 98.82 ± 27, respectively; analysis of variance [ANOVA] variance 8627; P < 0.001; posthoc test diff 32, 95% confidence interval: 28-35; P < 001; IDA vs. PCC: 20, 5, 32.29 ± 15.0 vs. 2, 1, 28.00 ± 0.0, respectively; ANOVA 1484; P < 0.001; posthoc test -29, -29 -29, respectively; P = n.d.). On-label PCC combined with Vit-K showed overall a slight statistically significant difference versus off-label Vit-K alone (52, 16, 100.58 ± 22.6 vs. 53, 11, 154.62 ± 29.8, respectively; ANOVA 310; P < 0.02; posthoc test 4, 0.7-7.2, respectively; P < 0.02). Data were confirmed in the group of patients with CH (ADX vs. PCC: n = 13, events = 3, mean ± SD 91.55 ± 18.6 vs. 78, 21, 108.91 ± 20.9, respectively; ANOVA variance 10,091, F = 261; P < 0.001; posthoc difference test 36, 95% confidence interval: 30-41; P < 0.001; IDA vs. PCC: 10, 2, 4.50 ± 2.5 vs. 78, 21, 108.91 ± 20.9, respectively; ANOVA 16,876,303, respectively; P < 0.001; posthoc test 41, 34-47, respectively; P < 0.001). On-label PCC combined with Vit-K showed an overall slight statistically significant difference compared with off-label Vit-K alone (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001 in the subgroups of CH and GI bleeding)., Conclusions: Patients undergoing specific reversal therapy with on-label ADX or IDA, when treated with aFXa or aFII anticoagulants, respectively, showed statistically elevated differences in 30-day death compared with off-label repletion therapy with PCC. Overall, 30-day survival of patients on ongoing aFXa or aFII receiving on-label reversal therapy with ADX or IDA compared with off-label PCC repletion agents showed an increase of 71% and 30%, respectively., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Antisecretory drugs are commonly prescribed with clopidogrel-based dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding in high-risk patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, omeprazole and esomeprazole (inhibiting proton pump inhibitors [PPIs]) may increase cardiovascular event rates on co-administration with clopidogrel. This study aimed to examine trends in the use of antisecretory agents in patients administered clopidogrel-based DAPT and the concomitant use of clopidogrel and inhibiting PPIs., Methods: We used National Inpatient Sample data compiled by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service from 2009 to 2020. Further, we identified patients who were prescribed clopidogrel-based DAPT after PCI and investigated the concomitant use of antisecretory agents with clopidogrel. To verify the annual trend of drug utilization, we used the Cochran-Armitage trend test., Results: From 2009 to 2020, the percentage of H2 receptor antagonist users decreased steadily (from 82.5% in 2009 to 25.3% in 2020); instead, the percentage of PPI users increased (from 23.7% in 2009 to 82.0% in 2020). The use of inhibiting PPI also increased (from 4.2% in 2009 to 30.7% in 2020). Potassium competitive acid blockers (P-CABs) were rarely used before 2019; however, in 2020, it accounted for 7.8% of the antisecretory users., Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the use of inhibiting PPIs increased steadily in patients administered clopidogrel-based DAPT therapy. This is a major concern since the concomitant use of inhibiting PPIs with clopidogrel could increase the risk of cardiovascular events., (© 2024 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: An increasing incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is being reported in developing countries, including India. Most Indian studies on CRC are retrospective and single-centered. The present study is an attempt to understand the current clinical profile and stage of newly diagnosed CRCs across multiple centers in Tamil Nadu, India., Methods: A multi-centric observational survey was conducted between September 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022, under the aegis of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology - Tamil Nadu chapter. Patients 18 years of age and older with a recent diagnosis of CRC fulfilling the inclusion criteria were prospectively recruited at the participating centers. Their demographic, clinical, biochemical, endoscopic, histopathologic, radiologic and risk factor details were systematically collected and analyzed., Results: Across 23 centers in Tamil Nadu, 1208 patients were recruited. The male:female ratio was 1.49:1, while mean (SD) age was 57.7 (13.5) years. A majority (81.9%) were Tamils and 78.5% belonged to lower socioeconomic classes. The predominant symptoms were hematochezia (30.2%) and a change in bowel habits (27.5%). The most common locations were the rectum (34.3%) and rectosigmoid (15.1%). Synchronous CRCs were seen in 3.3% and synchronous colorectal polyps in 12.8%. Predisposing factors for CRC were seen in 2%. A past history of any cancer among CRC patients was obtained in 3.1% and a family history of any cancer was found in 7.6%. Patients who were either overweight or obese constituted 46.4% of the study population. At presentation, the predominant stages were stage III (44.7%) and stage IV (20.8%)., Conclusions: A majority of patients with newly diagnosed CRC in Tamil Nadu belonged to the lower socioeconomic classes. About 60% had CRCs located within the reach of the flexible sigmoidoscope. Two-thirds of the patients exceeded stage II disease at presentation., Trial Registration: Not applicable., (© 2024. Indian Society of Gastroenterology.)

Background: This study investigated the frequency and impact of repeat endoscopy in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) in a referral hospital in Southeast Iran., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted on the records of 190 patients who underwent endoscopy for AUGIB in 2019. The study compared the demographic and clinical characteristics, outcomes, and treatments of patients who had a second endoscopy (n=64) with those who did not (n=126). The data were analyzed with SPSS software, and a P value less than 0.05 was considered significant., Results: The results showed that repeat endoscopy was not significantly associated with age, gender, initial symptoms, bleeding site, first endoscopy time, or disease outcome. However, repeat endoscopy was significantly associated with higher bleeding severity, different wound types, different bleeding causes, longer hospital stay, and different treatments in the first endoscopy. The main reasons for repeat endoscopy were poor visibility and recurrent bleeding. The majority of repeat endoscopies were performed within 2 days of the first one. Most patients who had a second endoscopy did not receive any treatment, and those who did received combined thermal and epinephrine injections., Conclusions: The study concluded that routine second endoscopy is not necessary for all patients with AUGIB, but it may be beneficial for some cases. Further research is needed to clarify the indications and timing of repeat endoscopy in AUGIB., Competing Interests: The author declares no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Overt hepatic encephalopathy remains a serious complication after TIPS. Concomitant SPSS is associated with an increased risk of HE in patients treated with TIPS., Purpose: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness and safety of the prophylactic embolization of SPSS at the time of TIPS creation., Materials and Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched up to April 2023 to identify studies on the association between antegrade embolized SPSS before TIPS placement and the incidence of post-TIPS HE. Odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% CIs were used to identify significant differences in the outcomes., Results: Four studies enrolling 1243 patients with cirrhosis who received TIPS for variceal bleeding were included. A meta-analysis revealed that TIPS without simultaneous SPSS embolization was associated with an increased risk of overt HE (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.32-4.38; p = 0.004). The risks of mortality (0.79, 95% CI 0.58-1.07; p = 0.13), variceal rebleeding (0.94, 95% CI 0.66-1.34; p = 0.74) and shunt dysfunction (1.40, 95% CI 0.51-3.83; p = 0.51) did not significantly differ among the groups., Conclusion: SPSS prevalence was associated with an increased risk of overt HE after TIPS. Concurrent antegrade SPSS embolization during TIPS creation reduced the risk for overt HE without increasing other complications., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Egypt faces a significant public health burden due to chronic liver diseases (CLD) and peptic ulcer disease. CLD, primarily caused by Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, affects over 2.9% of the population nationwide, with regional variations. Steatotic liver disease is rapidly emerging as a significant contributor to CLD, especially in urban areas. Acid-related disorders are another widespread condition that can significantly impact the quality of life. These factors and others significantly influence the indications and findings of gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures performed in Egypt., Aim: We aimed to evaluate the clinico-demographic data, indications, and endoscopic findings in Egyptian patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures in various regions of Egypt., Methods: This study employed a retrospective multicenter cross-sectional design. Data was collected from patients referred for gastrointestinal endoscopy across 15 tertiary gastrointestinal endoscopy units in various governorates throughout Egypt., Results: 5910 patients aged 38-63 were enrolled in the study; 75% underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), while 25% underwent a colonoscopy. In all studied patients, the most frequent indications for EGD were dyspepsia (19.5%), followed by hematemesis (19.06%), and melena (17.07%). The final EGD diagnoses for the recruited patients were portal hypertension-related sequelae (60.3%), followed by acid-related diseases (55%), while 10.44% of patients had a normally apparent endoscopy. Male gender, old age, and the presence of chronic liver diseases were more common in patients from upper than lower Egypt governorates. Hematochezia (38.11%) was the most reported indication for colonoscopy, followed by anemia of unknown origin (25.11%). IBD and hemorrhoids (22.34% and 21.86%, respectively) were the most prevalent diagnoses among studied patients, while normal colonoscopy findings were encountered in 18.21% of them., Conclusion: This is the largest study describing the situation of endoscopic procedures in Egypt. our study highlights the significant impact of regional variations in disease burden on the utilization and outcomes of GI endoscopy in Egypt. The high prevalence of chronic liver disease is reflected in the EGD findings, while the colonoscopy results suggest a potential need for increased awareness of colorectal diseases., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Although proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB) are useful in peptic ulcer prevention, their efficacy in preventing other gastrointestinal bleeding remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the status of gastrointestinal bleeding in the modern era when PPIs are widely used., Methods: This study included patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 2018 and 2019 at two high-volume centers. Patients were categorized based on whether they experienced gastrointestinal bleeding within 2 years of PCI into groups A (patients who experienced gastrointestinal bleeding within 2 years after PCI) and B (patients who did not experience gastrointestinal bleeding)., Results: Groups A and B included 21 (4.1%) and 494 (95.9%) patients, respectively (a total of 515 patients). Age at the initial PCI (77.8±2.4 and 72.0±0.5 years in groups A and B, respectively; p = 0.02), weight (53.8±3.2 and 61.8±0.7 kg in groups A and B, respectively; p = 0.01), and concomitant warfarin use (14.3% and 2.0% in groups A and B, respectively; p = 0.0005) were significantly different between the groups. The high bleeding risk rate (90.5% and 47.6% in groups A and B, respectively; p = 0.0001) was significantly different between the groups. A total of 95.9% of patients were taking PPIs or PCAB without significant differences between the groups. However, only one patient, who was taking steroids, had a gastric ulcer during PCAB treatment., Conclusions: Acid-related upper gastrointestinal bleeding is largely controlled by PPIs in post-PCI patients. Furthermore, the risk factors for non-acid-related bleeding include older age, lower weight, and concomitant warfarin use., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Study Objective: To determine whether there is a signal for gastrointestinal (GI) or intracranial (IC) hemorrhage associated with the use of antiviral medications for influenza in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database., Design: Disproportionality analysis., Data Source: The FAERS database was searched using OpenVigil 2.1 to identify GI and IC hemorrhage events reported between 2004 and 2022., Measurements: Antiviral medications for influenza included the following: oseltamivir, zanamivir, peramivir, and baloxavir marboxil. Hemorrhage events were identified using Standardized Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) Queries for GI and IC hemorrhages. Reporting odds ratios (RORs) were calculated to compare the occurrence of GI and IC hemorrhage events between antiviral drugs for influenza and (i) all other medications and (ii) antibiotics. RORs were also calculated for each of the individual antiviral medications., Main Results: A total of 245 cases of GI hemorrhage and 23 cases of IC hemorrhage were identified in association with four antivirals. In comparison with all other drugs, the RORs of GI hemorrhage for oseltamivir, zanamivir, peramivir, baloxavir, and all antivirals combined were 1.17, 0.62, 4.44, 2.53, and 1.22, respectively, indicating potential variations in GI hemorrhage risk among the antivirals. In contrast, in comparison with all other drugs, the RORs of IC hemorrhage for oseltamivir (0.44), zanamivir (0.16), baloxavir (0.44), and all antivirals combined (0.41) were less than 1.0 which is consistent with no elevated risk of IC hemorrhage., Conclusion: In this study, some signals for GI hemorrhage were observed, particularly for peramivir and baloxavir marboxil. Further investigation is warranted to better understand and evaluate the potential risks of GI hemorrhage associated with antiviral treatments for influenza., (© 2024 The Authors. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.)

Background: Rectal bleeding is the most common presenting symptom of colorectal cancer, and guidelines recommend timely follow-up, usually with colonoscopy to ensure timely diagnoses of colorectal cancer., Objective: Identify loop closure rates and vulnerable process points for patients with rectal bleeding., Design: Retrospective cohort study, using medical record review of patients aged ≥ 40 with index diagnosis of rectal bleeding at 2 primary practices-an urban academic practice and affiliated community health center, between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020. Patients were classified as having completed recommended follow-up workup ("closed loop") vs. not ("open loop"). Open loop patient cases were categorized into six types of process failures., Participants: A total of 837 patients had coded diagnoses of rectal bleeding within study window. Sixty-seven were excluded based on prior colectomy, clinical presentation more consistent with upper GI bleed, no rectal bleeding documented on chart review, or expired during the follow-up period, leaving 770 patients included., Main Measures: Primary outcomes were percentages of patient cases classified as "open loops" and distribution of these cases into six categories of process failure that were identified., Key Results: 22.3% of patients (N = 172) failed to undergo timely recommended workup for rectal bleeding. Largest failure categories were patients for whom no procedure was ordered (N = 62, 36%), followed by patients with procedures ordered but never scheduled (N = 44, 26%) or scheduled but subsequently cancelled or not kept (N = 31, 18%). While open loops increased after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this difference was not significant within our study period., Conclusions: Significant numbers of patients presenting to primary care with rectal bleeding fail to undergo recommended workup. The majority either have no procedure ordered, or procedure ordered but never scheduled or cancelled and not kept, suggesting these are important failure modes to target in future interventions. Ensuring reliable ordering and processes for timely scheduling and completion of procedures represent critical areas for improving the diagnostic process for patients with rectal bleeding in primary care., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine.)

Background: Active surveillance pharmacovigilance is an emerging approach to identify medications with unanticipated effects. We previously developed a framework called pharmacopeia-wide association studies (PharmWAS) that limits false positive medication associations through high-dimensional confounding adjustment and set enrichment. We aimed to assess the transportability and generalizability of the PharmWAS framework by using medical claims data to reproduce known medication associations with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) or gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB)., Methods: We conducted case-control studies using Optum's de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart Database of individuals enrolled in large commercial and Medicare Advantage health plans in the United States. Individuals with CDI (from 2010 to 2015) or GIB (from 2010 to 2021) were matched to controls by age and sex. We identified all medications utilized prior to diagnosis and analysed the association of each with CDI or GIB using conditional logistic regression adjusted for risk factors for the outcome and a high-dimensional propensity score., Findings: For the CDI study, we identified 55,137 cases, 220,543 controls, and 290 medications to analyse. Antibiotics with Gram-negative spectrum, including ciprofloxacin (aOR 2.83), ceftriaxone (aOR 2.65), and levofloxacin (aOR 1.60), were strongly associated. For the GIB study, we identified 450,315 cases, 1,801,260 controls, and 354 medications to analyse. Antiplatelets, anticoagulants, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including ticagrelor (aOR 2.81), naproxen (aOR 1.87), and rivaroxaban (aOR 1.31), were strongly associated., Interpretation: These studies demonstrate the generalizability and transportability of the PharmWAS pharmacovigilance framework. With additional validation, PharmWAS could complement traditional passive surveillance systems to identify medications that unexpectedly provoke or prevent high-impact conditions., Funding: U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests RKV and WFG are employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs in the United States. This research does not necessarily represent the views of Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government. ARB, RF: No relevant disclosures. SDR: Co-Investigator on NIH grant R01-HS027985 from the National Institutes of Health (the funder of this research). RES: Research support from Exact Sciences, Immunovia, and Freenome not related to this research. JDL: Consulted for AbbVie, Merck, Scipher Medicine, Eli Lilly. Served on advisory board for Amgen, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Protagonist Therapeutics, and Sanofi. He has had research funding from Nestle Health Science, Takeda, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and AbbVie. He has performed legal work on behalf of generic manufacturers of ranitidine, including L. Perrigo Company, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc., Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc., Novitium Pharma, Ranbaxy Inc. and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc., Strides Pharma, Inc., and Wockhardt USA LLC. He owns stock in Dark Canyon Labs. He has received honoraria from Nestle Health Science, and Celgene., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Goals: We aim to explore the relationship between the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). We develop a nomogram model to predict mortality in critically ill stroke patients., Study: This is a retrospective study based on the MIMIC IV database. We extracted clinical information including demographic data, comorbidities, and laboratory indicators. Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess and identify risk factors for the occurrence of UGIB and for the in-hospital mortality of critically ill stroke patients. The resulting model was used to construct a nomogram for predicting in-hospital mortality., Results: Five thousand seven hundred sixteen patients from the MIMIC-IV database were included in our analysis. UGIB occurred in 109 patients (1.9%), whereas the PPI use rate was as high as 60.6%. Chronic liver disease, sepsis, shock, anemia, and increased level of urea nitrogen were independent risk factors for the occurrence of UGIB in severe stroke patients. We identified age, heart failure, shock, coagulopathy, mechanical ventilation, continuous renal replacement therapy, antiplatelet drugs, anticoagulation, simplified acute physiology score-II, and Glasgow coma score as independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality in severe stroke patients. The C-index for the final nomograms was 0.852 (95% confidence interval: 0.840, 0.864)., Conclusions: We found that the overall rate of UGIB in severe stroke patients is low, whereas the rate of PPI usage is high. In our study, PPI was not identified as a risk factor for the occurrence of UGIB and UGIB was not associated with all-cause mortality. More clinical trials are needed to evaluate the benefits of using PPI in critically ill stroke patients., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background & Aims: In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) receiving direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a serious complication. There are limited data on the benefit of preventive proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use to reduce the risk of UGIB in DOAC users., Methods: We included patients with AF receiving DOAC from 2015 to 2020 based on the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database. The propensity score (PS) weighting method was used to compare patients with PPI use and those without PPI use. The primary outcome was hospitalization for UGIB. Weighted hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model., Results: A total of 165,624 patients were included (mean age: 72.2 ± 10.8 years; mean CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score: 4.3 ± 1.8; mean HAS-BLED score: 3.3 ± 1.2). Among them, 99,868 and 65,756 were in the non-PPI group and PPI group, respectively. During a median follow-up of 1.5 years, the PPI group was associated with lower risks of hospitalization for UGIB and UGIB requiring red blood cell transfusion than non-PPI group (weighted HR, 0.825; 95% CI, 0.761-0.894 and 0.798; 95% CI, 0.717-0.887, respectively, both P < .001). The benefits of PPI on the risk of hospitalization for UGIB were greater in those with older age (≥75 years), higher HAS-BLED score (≥3), prior GIB history, and concomitant use of antiplatelet agent (all P-for-interaction < .1). Low-dose PPI was consistently associated with a lower risk of significant UGIB by 43.6-49.3% (P < .001)., Conclusions: In this large Asian cohort of patients with AF on DOAC, PPI co-therapy is beneficial for reducing the risk of hospitalization for UGIB, particularly in high-risk patients., (Copyright © 2024 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding control is critical in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) receiving oral anticoagulants (OAC). This subgroup analysis aimed to clarify the actual state and significance of GI bleeding in elderly non-valvular AF (NVAF) patients. We evaluated the incidence and risk factors of GI bleeding during the 2-year follow-up and examined the GI bleeding impact on mortality. Of the 32,275 patients in the ANAFIE Registry, 1139 patients (3.5%) experienced GI bleeding (incidence rate, 1.92 events per 100 person-years; mean follow-up, 1.88 years); 339 upper and 760 lower GI bleeding events occurred. GI bleeding risk factors included age ≥ 85 years, body mass index ≥ 25.0 kg/m 2 , prior major bleeding, hyperuricaemia, heart failure, P-glycoprotein inhibitor use, GI disease, and polypharmacy (≥ 5 drugs). No significant differences in GI bleeding risk were found between direct OAC (DOAC) vs warfarin users (adjusted hazard ratios [95% confidence interval], 1.01 [0.88-1.15]). The 1-year post-GI bleeding mortality rate was numerically higher in patients with upper (19.6%) than lower GI bleeding (8.9%). In elderly Japanese NVAF patients, this large-scale study found no significant difference in GI bleeding risk between DOAC vs. warfarin users or 1-year mortality after upper or lower GI bleeding., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Aim: Colonoscopy with histopathological analysis of mucosal biopsy samples remains the gold standard procedure for diagnosing lower gastrointestinal disorders. This study aimed to determine the pattern of histopathological findings of mucosal biopsies obtained at colonoscopy over a 7-year period and to correlate the histological findings with the clinical profile of the patients., Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted in a healthcare facility in southwestern Nigeria. The Histology reports from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2022, were retrieved from the histopathology department of the institution to obtain the following information for analysis: age, gender, year of the test, presenting complaint, provisional clinical diagnosis, colonoscopy diagnosis, and histological diagnosis., Results: The data of a total number of 81 patients were analyzed; 51 males (63.0%) and 30 females (37.0%) with a male-to-female ratio of 1.7-1. The age range of the patients was 30-86 years with a mean (±standard deviations) age of 59.87 ± 14.44. The most common indication for colonoscopy was hematochezia (23 (28.4%)) followed by change in bowel habit (16 [19.8%]), constipation (11 [13.6%]), and tenesmus (10 [12.3%]). Large bowel masses suggestive of cancers were the most common colonoscopy finding in the study subjects (36 [44.4%]). Colorectal cancer was the most common histologic abnormality in the study subjects (26 [32.1%]) followed by chronic nonspecific colitis (8 [9.9%]), polyps (7 [8.6%]), adenomas (5 [6.2%]) and acute on chronic colitis (5 [6.2%]). Twenty-two (27.2%) patients had normal histologic findings. Patients aged between 45 and 64 years had the highest prevalence of colorectal cancer (13 [50.0%])., Conclusion: Colorectal cancer was the most common histopathological finding in this study and the patients were mostly within the middle-age group. Early screening colonoscopy is therefore recommended and histopathological analysis of the mucosal specimens obtained is essential for early detection of premalignant lesions., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Annals of African Medicine.)