NONSTEROIDAL ANTIINFLAMMATORY DRUGS AND UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL HEMORRHAGE IN AN URBAN HOSPITAL

Aspirin and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs have been implicated i n the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. To evaluate their i mpact on inpatients, charts from Temple University Hospital with a dis charge ICD-9 code which included upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage dur ing a one-year period were reviewed. Aspirin and/or nonaspirin nonster oidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) use was identified in 34 patients (19 daily users and 15 intermittent users). Sixty-seven patients who b led, but did not use these agents, served as controls. Daily NSAID use rs were older than intermittent users and controls (P < 0.05). A highe r frequency of bleeding ulcers was associated with NSAID use. Patients using NSAIDs spent more time in intensive care than controls (median 1 day vs 0 days). Daily users had a higher transfusion requirement (4 units) than non-users (0 units; P < 0.05). This study suggests that NS AID use has a substantial impact on health care resource utilization i n patients admitted to an urban hospital for upper gastrointestinal he morrhage.