Ensure Patients With Acute Variceal Bleeding Get Appropriate Treatment

One-third of patients with varices will have variceal bleeding...the most life-threatening complication of cirrhosis.

Resuscitate with fluids and blood if needed, then help facilitate an endoscopy within 12 hours for esophageal banding.

Start an octreotide bolus followed by an infusion. Combining octreotide with endoscopic intervention seems to control bleeding and prevent early rebleeding better than either treatment alone. But there's no proof octreotide improves mortality.