Background: The Rockall score is used to assess the prognosis of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
Aim: To assess the applicability of the Rockall score in patients undergoing endoscopic therapy for upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
Methods: Retrospective evaluation of the Rockall score in the period 1995-2001. To evaluate the applicability of the Rockall system, two groups were created: group I (Rockall<or=5 points) and group II (Rockall>or=6 points).
Results: Two hundred and twenty-two patients were included. The median age of patients was 65 +/ -17 years. Hypotension and associated diseases were present in 20 and 50% of patients, respectively. Re-bleeding occurred in 50 patients (23%) whose median score was 7, whereas the median score of patients without re-bleeding was 6 (p=0.14). There were 20 deaths (9%) with a median score of 8, whilst the median score of surviving patients was 6 (p<0.001). Sixteen patients in group I (18.4%) and 34 in group II (25.2%) re-bled (p=0.25). All the patients who died belong to group II with a Rockall score>or=6 (15% versus 0% in groups II and I, respectively, p<0.001).
Conclusion: The Rockall score can be used in patients who undergo therapeutic endoscopy for upper gastrointestinal bleeding to identify those with high risk for mortality.