A total of 212 patients of upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding, who were admitted in Korea University Hospital during the past ten years from July 1963 to June 1973, were clinically reviewed. The following results were obtained.
1) The incidence of upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding was 2.93% of all patients admitted to our surgical department.
2) The causative disease producing upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding were peptic ulcer (57. 1 %), stomach cancer (15.5%), esophageal varices (11.7%), stress ulcer (4.890/), undetermined (4.4%), hemorrhagic gastritis (2.8%), drug induced acute ulcer (2.3%), and blood dyscrasias (1.4%) in this order.
3) The age and sex incidence of gastrointestinal tract. bleeding revealed a greater prevalance in male and 4th decade, with a ratio of 3. 7 males to 1 females.
4) One hundred and four patients (49.1%) were with the first single episode of bleeding, 77 (36.3%) with the second episode, 25 (11.8%) with the third episode and 6 (2.8%) with the fourth or more.
5) Hematemesis was noted in 59 patients (28%), melena in 45 patients (21%) and combined hematemesis and melena in 108 patients (51%).
6) Over the one half of all patients (71.7%) had transfusion of 1^x10 pints.
7) Radiological diagnosis was established in 57. 5% of all cases.
8) Among 212 cases, 135 cases (63.7%) were treated conservatively and 77 cases (36.3%) were
treated surgically.
9) The mortality rate was 14.8% (20 cases) in conservative group and 7. 7% (6 cases) in operative
group. The over all mortality rate was 12.3% (26 cases).
10) Among operated cases, subtotal gastrectomy was most common procedure (61.0%). Other procedure were vagotomy and pyloroplasty, shunt operation, hemigastrectomy, total gastrectomy, vagotomy and antrectomy, splenectomy.
11) Postoperative complications were 13 cases (6. 1%) which were wound infection, postoperative adhesion, atelectasis, fistula, hepatic coma.
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