This article is a review of the experience with 115 patients admitted to Busan Gospel Hospital during 5 years period from September 1970 to August 1975. The following results were obtained.
1) Gastric ulcer was the most common cause of the bleeding accounting for 45%. Other causes were duodenal ulcer (14.8%), stomach cancer (20%), esophageal varix (9.7%), hemorrhagic gastritis (6.0%), blood dyscrasia (O. 9%), and undetermined (3.4%).
2) Age incidence was peaked-on fourth-and fifth decade and sex incidence revealed a greater prevalence in male. The ratio of males to females was 6.6: 1.
3) Hematemesis occurred in 22 patients (19%), melena in 38 patients (33%), and hematemesis and melena in 55 patients (48%).
4) Bleeding was minimal in 26 patients (25%), moderatein 41 patients (35.7%) and massive in 48 patients (39.1%)
5) Among the 77 patients examined with upper gastrointestinal series 64 patients (83.1%) had positive findings. Gastrofiberscopy was performed in 18 patients, and 14 patients (77.6%) had positive findings.
6) Surgical treatment was performed in 87 patients (75.6%), and conservative treatment in 28 patients (24.4%).
7) Subtotal gastrectomy was the most common surgical procedure (74.7%). and it seemed to be significantly better than other procedures.
8) Pulmonary complication (7 patients) was the most common and others were rebleeding (5 patients) and hepatic coma (1 patient).
9) The overall mortality for the series was 8.7%. The mortality rate was 8.0%, for surgical treatment and 10.7% for conservative treatment.
10) The causes of death were rebleeding (5 patients), pulmonary complication (2 patients), hepatic coma (2 patients) and leakage (1 patient).
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