Immediate coiling of a gastroduodenal arterial bleeding in a case of haemorrhagic shock without haematemesis, a case report

• Published in: Annals of medicine and surgery 2022-08, Vol.80, Article 104146
• Main Authors: Schweitzer, Donald, De Boer, Sanne W., Bogie, Roel M.M., Keszthelyi, Daniel, Schweitzer, Dave H., Bouwense, Stefan A.W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case Report; Coiling; Computed tomography angiography; Digital subtraction angiography; Diverticular bleeding; Surgical emergency; Upper GI
• ISSN: 2049-0801; 2049-0801
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104146

and importance: Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is common in the clinic. In combination with haemorrhagic shock, morbidity is high. Rapid diagnosis and treatment can save lives. With the introduction of precision imaging several treatment options are feasible. Up-to-date diagnosis and treatment requires expertise from interventional radiology, gastroenterology and surgery to form a dedicated intervention team. This is illustrated by a typical case. We report a 78-year-old otherwise healthy male with a severe diverticulum bleeding. He was initially diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Approximately 60 minutes after CT scanning, he became haemodynamically instable. He also vomited coffee-like fluid but no clear blood or clots. A repeated CT scan showed active bleeding in the retroperitoneal space highly suspicious for a diverticular bleeding just outside the lumen of the duodenum. An acute multidisciplinary intervention team immediately decided not to perform endoscopy (according to the upper GI bleeding guidelines) but to extend the imaging procedure with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). By this time, active bleeding from a side branch of the gastroduodenal artery was noted and successfully coiled. Guidelines determine day-to-day management in clinical medicine. Still, there is an exception to every rule. The case presented here was typical of upper GI bleeding with haemodynamic instability and signs of shock, but without haematemesis. This combination indicated a bleeding from somewhere outside the lumen of the GI tract. Instead of endoscopy, the acute intervention team decided to perform CT angiography (CTa) with subsequent DSA. On imaging, the bleeding focus was immediately identified and treated by coiling. Performance of CTa immediately followed by DSA and no endoscopy was decided by an acute intervention team in a patient with upper GI bleeding and haemorrhagic shock. Swift coiling of the bleeding artery outside the GI tract lumen was successful. The team in charge relied on a hybrid multifunctional unit fully equipped to perform interventional radiologic as well as GI procedures. •Direct computed tomography angiography could be an option in case the patient vomits no pure blood.•Multidisciplinary re-evaluation is essential in an unstable patient with an upper GI bleeding until the situation is stabilized.•The role of coiling is growing, with this important technic a laparotomy could be avoid.