title: Use of capsule endoscopy in the emergency department as a triage of patients with GI bleeding.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Upper GI bleeding (UGIB) still constitutes one of the major hospital admissions through emergency departments (EDs). This feasibility study aims to test whether capsule endoscopy (CE) can reduce unnecessary hospital admissions in patients with suspected UGIB.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective randomized controlled trial in which patients who presented with symptoms or signs suggestive of UGIB were randomized to receive either the standard treatment (ST) of hospital management or receive CE, after which hospital admission was determined by the findings of CE. Patients were also graded by Glasgow Blatchford score (GBS) at the ED for assessment of need of hospital admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-one patients fulfilled the recruitment criteria, with 37 subjects enrolled into the CE group and 34 subjects into the ST group. Seven CE patients with active bleeding or significant endoscopic findings were admitted to the hospital compared with the ST group in which all 34 patients were admitted. There was no difference in the clinical outcome in terms of recurrent bleeding and 30-day mortality. Hospital admission was also greatly reduced if CE instead of GBS was used to triage patients in the ED.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This feasibility study shows that CE offers a safe and effective method in triaging patients presenting with symptoms of UGIB that do not require hospital admission. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02446678.).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Digestive Diseases, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Joseph J Y
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: Institute of Digestive Diseases, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Raymond S Y
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Digestive Diseases, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Jessica Y L
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ching
authors.affiliation: Institute of Digestive Diseases, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Timothy H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Rainer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Digestive Diseases, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: James Y W
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D053704:Capsule Endoscopy; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods*