Context

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) haemorrhage is a common presentation to the emergency department, and accounts for approximately 50-70,000 admissions per year [NICE].

The overall incidence of acute upper GI bleeding in the UK ranges from 84-172 per 100,000 of the population per year [NICE]. Incidence is highest in the elderly, and lower socioeconomic groups.

Despite changes in medical management, mortality has remained at around 10% for the last fifty years [NICE].