• P W Plaisier, H R van Buuren, and H A Bruining.
• Department of General Surgery, University Hospital Dijkzigt of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
• Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 1998 Dec 1; 10 (12): 997-1000.

ObjectiveTo investigate the frequency, indication and results of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) at four different intensive care units (ICUs) in one hospital.DesignRetrospective analysis.SettingRotterdam Erasmus University Hospital, The Netherlands.ParticipantsOne hundred and ninety-nine male and 102 female patients; mean age, 58.3 years (range, 14-91 years).InterventionsFour hundred and eleven UGIEs.Main Outcome Measures And ResultsUGIE was primarily diagnostic and therapeutic in 55% and 45% of patients, respectively. Seventy-three per cent of the diagnostic UGIEs were performed for localization of a haemorrhage and 70% of the therapeutic UGIEs for placement of feeding tubes. The causes of haemorrhage were varices, duodenal ulcer and oesophagitis in 26, 22 and 14% of cases, respectively. As co-incidental findings, oesophagitis, gastritis and gastric ulcer were seen in, respectively, 18, 8 and 7% of cases. The vast majority of UGIEs (81%) were performed at the surgical and medical ICUs. At the medical ICU, upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage (UGIH) usually was the ICU admission diagnosis, and usually concerned varices (56%). At the surgical ICU, UGIH was usually not the ICU admission diagnosis but a postoperative complication, and usually concerned oesophagitis (25%) or a duodenal or gastric ulcer (25 and 13%, respectively). Of all ICU patients, surgical patients were most prone to have co-incidental abnormalities of the digestive tract at UGIE (63%).ConclusionsUGIE is a frequent diagnostic and therapeutic procedure in patients admitted to the ICU, particularly at the surgical and medical ICU. Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy are most frequently performed for assessment of bleeding and placement of feeding tubes, respectively. Oesophagitis is a surprisingly common finding, both as a co-incidental diagnosis as well as the cause of bleeding, especially after surgery.

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