A Comparison of Omeprazole and Placebo for Bleeding Peptic Ulcer

Bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract is an important cause of hospital admission and death, with an overall incidence of approximately 150 hospital admissions per 100,000 population per year. 1 Endoscopic techniques are widely used to treat patients with bleeding from a peptic ulcer and stigmata of recent hemorrhage. 2 – 7 Medical therapy is an attractive alternative for controlling ulcer-related hemorrhage and preventing its recurrence. 8 – 11 The function of platelets is severely impaired at low pH in vitro. Pepsin can digest blood clots overlying ulcer craters, and its activity is pH-related. Thus, a profound reduction of gastric acidity so that the pH . . .