Ranitidine versus ranitidine plus octreotide in the treatment of acute non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a prospective randomised study.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the efficacy of ranitidine with that of ranitidine plus octreotide in the treatment of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding.


METHODS
Prospective, randomised, open study.


METHODS
Upper GI endoscopy was carried out during the first 24 hours in all patients with UGI bleeding who had been admitted within a period of 18 months. Patients with variceal bleeding, and those who had undergone any type of gastric operation, were excluded. Eighty-four patients (58 men and 26 women) aged 21-92 years (mean age: 61.2 +/- 15.0 SD) were included. Patients were randomised to receive ranitidine 50 mg tid intravenously alone (Group A: 44 patients, 29 men), or in combination with octreotide 100 micrograms tid subcutaneously, the second drug given for three days only (Group B: 40 patients, 29 men). The study end-points were discharge without operation, emergency surgical intervention or death. The number of blood units given and the days of hospitalization were also recorded.


RESULTS
Aspirin and non-aspirin NSAID use before bleeding was reported by 16/44 (36%) patients in Group A and by 19/40 (47.5%) patients in Group B (p = 0.38, OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.26-1.51). The endoscopically detected pathology and bleeding stigmata did not differ between the groups (p = 0.86, p = 0.64, OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.3-1.99, respectively). Mean use of blood units (p = 0.16) and days of hospitalization (p = 0.25) did not differ. Three patients in Group A (6.8%) and three in Group B (7.5%) required surgical intervention (p = 1.0, OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.21-5.84).


CONCLUSIONS
Ranitidine plus subcutaneous octreotide is not superior to ranitidine alone in the management of patients with acute non-variceal UGI bleeding.
Archimandritis
A
A
Department of Pathophysiology, Gastroenterology Section, University of Athens Medical School, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece. aarchim@cc.uoa.gr
Tsirantonaki
M
M
Tryphonos
M
M
Kourtesas
D
D
Sougioultzis
S
S
Papageorgiou
A
A
Tzivras
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015282:Octreotide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011899:Ranitidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D011899:Ranitidine; D015282:Octreotide