RT Book, Section
A1 Hanna, Eyad
A2 Bishop, Warren P.
SR Print(0)
ID 55944664
T1 Chapter 6. Gastrointestinal Bleeding
T2 Pediatric Practice: Gastroenterology
YR 2010
FD 2010
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-163379-6
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=55944664
RD 2024/04/19
AB Gastrointestinal  (GI)  bleeding  can  be  occult  (not  readily  visible)  or  overt.  This  chapter  will  focus  on  overt  GI  bleeding  that  is  acute  or  subacute.  Separate  chapters  (e.g.,  Chapters  13  and  16)  will  cover  aspects  of  chronic  or  occult  GI  blood  loss  in  more  detail.  The  source  of  visible  blood  in  stool  or  vomit  may  be  from  the  upper  GI  (UGI)  tract,  lower  GI  (LGI)  tract,  extraintestinal  (e.g.,  swallowed  blood  from  a  nosebleed),  or  an  exogenous  substance  (e.g.,  red-colored  foods).  Regardless  of  the  source,  obvious  blood  from  the  GI  tract  tends  to  be  a  very  distressing  problem  for  patients  and  their  families  that  quickly  bring  them  to  medical  attention.  GI  bleeding  can  be  serious  and  life  threatening.  Thankfully,  serious  GI  bleeding  is  uncommon  in  the  pediatric  age  group  and  the  problem  often  resolves  without  specific  intervention.  The  key  to  approaching  a  patient  with  GI  bleeding  is  a  rapid  assessment  of  the  severity  of  bleeding  and  hemodynamic  status  of  the  child.  Given  the  nature  of  the  content,  this  chapter  will  focus  on  differential  diagnosis,  diagnostic  approach,  and  treatment  based  on  clinical  presentation:  hematemesis  or  coffee  ground  emesis,  hematochezia,  and  melena.