Context

Acute lower GI haemorrhage accounts for approximately 20% of all cases of GI haemorrhage and is a frequent cause of hospital admission [1-3].

It usually causes less haemodynamic instability than upper GI haemorrhage, however, it can present as a wide spectrum from trivial bright red blood per rectum to massive haemorrhage with shock. As such, the bleeding can be catastrophic and should be considered as a potential surgical emergency, with mortality rates reportedly as high as 21% in those with massive GI haemorrhage*[4].However, in the majority of cases bleeding stops during initial resuscitation, allowing time for further investigations to elicit the exact source and cause of bleeding, with an overall mortality rate of around 2-4% [5-9].

*Massive Haemorrhage implied in this study if: large volumes of blood passed, 2+ units of RCC required or Haemodynamic instability.