title: Cimetidine and acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a double-blind controlled trial.
abstract: Patients presenting with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding from a variety of lesions were admitted to a prospective double-blind controlled trial to determine if cimetidine reduces the severity of bleeding and/or the incidence of rebleeding. During the first 48 hours, the patients received intravenous cimetidine (200 mg four-hourly) or placebo, and for the following ten days, oral cimetidine (1 g/24 hr) or placebo. Eight-eight patients entered the trial of whom 45 (51%) were in the cimetidine-treated group. Six of the seven patients requiring surgery for life-threatening bleeding and four of the six patients who rebled were in the cimetidine-treated group. This study failed to demonstrate any advantage of using cimetidine routinely in the treatment of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006146:Guanidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D006146:Guanidines; D002927:Cimetidine