CRITERIA FOR INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT ADMISSION OF PATIENTS WITH GASTROINTESTINAL-BLEEDING

Rapid, high-quality management is essential in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Admission to an intensive care unit is warranted in patients with any of the three factors that are predictive of massive bleeding, rebleeding, or death: circulatory failure, which can be due to rapid or massive blood loss, to comorbid conditions, or to concomitant treatments; age above 60 years or comorbidity, in particular cirrhosis which indicates intensive care unit admission in virtually every case; and visualization during endoscopy of a high-risk lesion.