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Methods
of Treatment
If you are taking NSAID's or aspirin
then you should discontinue the use of these immediately.
Unless of course you have to take these drugs for any other
life threatening condition you may be suffering from.
The most effective and most commonly used treatment for bleeding
ulcers is by a procedure called endoscopy. What is good about
this procedure is that damaged and bleeding blood vessels
can usually be detected visually, and repaired immediately.
The endoscope has a small heating device on the end that
is used to heat-seal small wounds. Endoscopy is effective
in controlling bleeding in 90% of patients. You may remain
hospitalized for some days after an episode of bleeding.
Endoscopy - a 3 fold procedure to
stop bleeding
- Firstly, the surgeon will maneuver the endoscope (basically
a long plastic tube) via your mouth and throat, into your
stomach.
- Secondly, he then passes a probe down the center of the
endoscope tube and uses electricity, heat, or even clips
to stop the bleeding.
- Thirdly, he then injects an adrenaline and fibrin glue
into the ulcer to minimize the chance of bleeding starting
again later.
If bleeding does re-occur, then a repeat endoscopy may be
required. This is effective in controlling bleeding in about
70% of cases. In rare cases, when heavy bleeding occurs that
cannot be stopped with an endoscopy, major abdominal surgery
is then required.
Surgery
During surgery, any small bleeding vessel is tied up and
the ulcer is stitched closed. This is the most effective way
of treating a serious loss of blood that cannot be stemmed
by other non surgical procedures. The follow-up treatment
for bleeding ulcers will normally include;
- Medication to eradicate H. pylori immediately after endoscopy.
This is vital for patients suffering from this infection.
Note that this is a good time to investigate using a clinically
tested and guaranteed natural remedy - the last thing
you want after a surgical procedure is to get pumped full
of drugs with really bad side-effects.
- Proton-pump inhibitors which are administered intravenously.
They are often used after an endoscopy or after surgery
to prevent rebleeding.
- Somatostatin (a hormone used to prevent bleeding in cirrhosis)
is also useful for reducing persistent peptic ulcer bleeding
or the risk of recurrence.
Sources and references
All our information
is sourced from various digestive health experts,
a world renowned immunologist, and from these trusted
websites;
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