Clinical Analysis of Pediatric Patients visiting our Emergency Center with Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

Choi, Dai Hai; Choi, Woo Ik

Abstract

PURPOSE
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage is one of the common pediatric and surgical emergencies for infants and children in Korea. Even though the causes and the appearance of gastrointestinal tract lesions vary with age, attention has seldomly been focused on infancy and childhood. This study aimed to provide, as basic material, experience with and an approach to gastrointestinal hemorrhage in infants and children. METHOD: A retrospective review of the medical records of 90 patients, 45 males and 45 females who visited the emergency center of Keimyung University Dong-San Hospital from January 1 to December 31 2003 was conducted. RESULT: Pediatric patients account for 6.5% of the total number of patients visiting the emergency center. The most common ages were between one month and one year of age (30%). The majority of the patients in this study presented with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and with small hemorrhage. The major symptom was hematemesis. Almost 95.6% of our patients required medical intervention. Four patients died, for an overall mortality of 3.3%.
CONCLUSION
According to the literature, gastrointestinal bleeding is uncommon in children, but is sometimes serious and life-threatening. A knowledge of age-dependent diagnoses in pediatric patients should be helpful in establishing a specific source of bleeding. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are necessary to preclude undue morbidity.