Gastroesophageal Variceal Hemorrhage

Gastroesophageal variceal hemorrhage, a major complication of portal hypertension resulting from cirrhosis, accounts for 10 to 30 percent of all cases of bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract.1 Variceal hemorrhage occurs in 25 to 35 percent of patients with cirrhosis and accounts for 80 to 90 percent of bleeding episodes in these patients.24 Variceal hemorrhage is associated with more substantial morbidity and mortality than other causes of gastrointestinal bleeding, as well as with higher hospital costs.57 Up to 30 percent of initial bleeding episodes are fatal, and as many as 70 percent of survivors have recurrent bleeding after . . .