THE SURGICAL-TREATMENT OF GASTRODUODENAL ULCER HEMORRHAGE - RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF A 5-YEAR PERIOD

94 patients have been operated upon for haemorrhagic gastroduodenal ulcer disease in the Wenckebach-Krankenhaus during the years 1986 - 1990. In all but 6 patients the ulcer has been controlled by an emergency gastroscopy. 25 of these patients had to undergo emergency operation at once for persistent bleeding after gastroscopy. From the other patients, another 31 suffered rebleeding and had to be laparotomised in an emergency procedure, too. Only in 38 cases an interval-operation was possible. No one of these 38 patients died. The overall mortality-rate was 14,9 % (14 patients). The mean age of our patients was 68 (26 - 90) years, none of the patients under 60 years died, whereas the mortality-rate of the elder was as high as 20 %. The operative procedures were ulcer excision and suturing of the bleeding vessel and distal gastrectomy. There was no difference in mortality-rates between resective and non resective procedures. Our aim to operate upon the patients in an elective way could be achieved in about one third only. Many patients refused an operation after primary control of bleeding.