Author

Mona D. Patel

Date Approved

2006

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department or School

Health Sciences

Committee Member

Stephen Sonstein, PhD, Chair

Committee Member

Naresh T. Gunaratnam, M.D.

Abstract

Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment of patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH), the majority of hospitals do not risk-stratify patients with UGIH. One of the major challenges in triaging patients with nonvariceal UGIH is identifying patients’ who are at low risk. We retrospectively identified Rockall scores of 160 patients and the proportion of low-risk patients seen in the Emergency Department at Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital (SJMH) over a one-year period. Additionally, we determined adverse outcomes and healthcare resources utilized and evaluated whether certain antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, and NSAIDS affected the Rockall scores. The Rockall scoring system identified 21% of patients as having low Rockall scores, with no significant differences in length of stay between risk groups. Our study shows that identifying patients with low Rockall scores could improve the management of patients with UGIH and reduce the amount of healthcare resources involved in treating these patients.

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