X-Ray Examination in Hemorrhage from the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract

The patient with bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract presents some very special problems. The need for determining the source of the hemorrhage is imperative if intelligent therapy is to be undertaken, especially since this may take the form of emergency surgery. In the acute case, it is commonly difficult to determine the source of the bleeding, since the history may be inconclusive and other findings of little significance. The roentgen examination of the gastrointestinal tract is a procedure involving some complexity; certainly, it is not easy nor free from hazard. It is necessary, usually, to bring the patient to the x-ray department, and even transportation may present some difficulties under the circumstances. Nevertheless, we have used the x-ray procedure consistently, even with seriously anemic patients who have bled very profusely, because the results were often helpful in the conduct of the case. The conception that the welfare of the patient