Introduction: Patients with signs of acute bleeding into the gastrointestinal tract are hospitalized at intensive care units of surgical departments for organizational reasons. There is a growing proportion of those treated with various forms of antithrombotic therapy. From the onset of endoscopic methods of haemostasis, mortality is low and surgical treatment of these patients is rarely required. Their treatment takes up a lot of human and financial resources. The question remains, whether it would be possible to stop the volume growth or even reduce the number of these patients.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized for acute gastrointestinal bleeding at our department focused on the use of various forms of antithrombotic therapy as a risk factor.
Results: A total of 251 patients were hospitalized with acute bleeding into the digestive tract during 24 months at our department. 107 of these were receiving antiplatelet, anticoagulant or combination therapy. None of the patients used any form of gastroprotection.
Conclusion: The number of patients acutely bleeding into the digestive tract is high and rising particularly within the group using various forms of antithrombotic therapy. Despite the existence of accepted guidelines, these patients are often not equipped with any form of gastroprotection. Compliance with the accepted standards could positively influence this unfavourable trend.