A physician can also cauterize, or heat treat, a bleeding site and surrounding tissue with a heater probe or electrocoagulation device passed through the endoscope.
Active bleeding from the upper GI tract can often be controlled by injecting chemicals directly into a bleeding site with a needle introduced through the endoscope. TreatmentĮndoscopy is the primary diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for most causes of GI bleeding. In selected situations, angiography allows injection of medicine into arteries that may stop the bleeding. This procedure is most useful in situations when the patient is bleeding acutely, so that dye leaks out of the blood vessel and identifies the site of bleeding. Angiography is a technique that uses dye to highlight blood vessels. Some drawbacks of barium X-rays are that they may interfere with other diagnostic techniques if used for detecting acute bleeding, they expose the patient to X-rays and they do not offer the capabilities of biopsy or treatment. Barium X-rays, in general, are less accurate than endoscopy in locating bleeding sites. Several other methods are available to locate the source of bleeding. This endoscope may be used to localize unidentified sources of bleeding in the small intestine. Small bowel endoscopy, or enteroscopy, is a procedure using a long endoscope. The instrument allows the doctor to see into the esophagus, stomach, duodenum (esophagoduodenoscopy), colon ( colonoscopy) and rectum ( sigmoidoscopy) to collect small samples of tissue (biopsies) to take photographs and to stop the bleeding. The endoscope is a flexible instrument that can be inserted through the mouth or rectum. In many cases, the doctor can use the endoscope to treat the cause of bleeding as well. Because the endoscope can detect lesions and confirm the presence or absence of bleeding, doctors often choose this method to diagnose patients with acute bleeding. EndoscopyĮndoscopy is a common diagnostic technique that allows direct viewing of the bleeding site. A blood count will indicate whether the patient is anemic and also will give an idea of the extent of the bleeding and how chronic it may be. A complete history and physical examination are essential. The site of the bleeding must be located. Because the intake of iron, bismuth or foods like beets can give the stool the same appearance as bleeding from the digestive tract, a doctor must test the stool for blood before offering a diagnosis. Symptoms like changes in bowel habits, stool color (to black or red) and consistency and the presence of pain or tenderness may tell the doctor which area of the GI tract is affected. Fortunately, simple tests can detect occult blood in the stool. This type of bleeding is called occult or hidden. Bleeding can sometimes occur without the person noticing it.
Bleeding can come from one or more of these areas - from a small area like an ulcer on the lining of the stomach or from a large surface, such as an inflammation of the colon. The digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum and anus. The cause of bleeding may not be serious, but locating the source of bleeding is important. If blood is coming from the rectum or the lower colon, bright red blood will coat or mix with the stool. The signs of bleeding in the digestive tract depend upon the site and severity of bleeding. What is gastrointestinal bleeding or blood in the stool?
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