Prevention of Esophageal Variceal Rebleeding

Methods of treatment: Group 1: Somatostatin 250μg slow bolus IV infusion followed by 250μg per hour (6mg/ 24 hours) or Terlipressin 2mg bolus was instituted on enrollment followed by 1mg per 6 hours for 5 days. The use of either somatostatin or glypressin was at the discretion of doctors in charge. Group 2: Pantoloc 20 mg intravenously per day was instituted on enrollment and continued for 5 days. Definition of initial hemostasis: Initial hemostasis was defined as achieving a 24h bleeding-free period within the first 48h after treatment together with stable vital signs based on Baveno consensus criteria. Very early rebleeding was defined as: UGI bleeding occurred after initial hemostasis and within 5 days after enrollment. UGI bleeding was proven to be from esophageal varices. Treatment failure is defined as failure to control acute bleeding episodes or very early rebleeding.