Assessing Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in an 88-Year-0ld Man With Hematemesis

摘要

An 88-year-old man was awakened by upper abdominal pain and nausea. Before long, he began to experience hematemesis, prompting his wife to call for an ambulance, which transported him to the emergency department (ED). In the ED, he denied syncope or dizziness. He reported having had similar but much milder abdominal pains, along with black bowel movements, in the 2 days leading up to the current event. The man's health was very good considering his age. His mild hypertension was well-controlled with metoprolol, and he also took a statin. He had never had a myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure. He rarely drank alcohol and had no history of liver disease. He had been taking a daily adult aspirin for 6 months after reading that it prevents heart attack and stroke, and his family physician did not vigorously oppose it.