Stress ulcer prophylaxis in the intensive care unit

摘要

Upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding (UGIB) is a common sequel of critical illness. Although only 1.5-6.0% of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) will have overt UGIB, most of them will exhibit clinical risk factors, especially mechanical ventilation for longer than 48 hours and the presence of a coagulopathy [1,2]. Up to 50% of patients will die as a result of stress-ulcer bleeding, mostly from multi-organ failure and deterioration of the underlying condition [3]. It is widely accepted that stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) is indicated for ICU patients at high risk for bleeding.