Intravenous Erythromycin Before Endoscopy in Patients With Variceal Bleeding: A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial

King Abdulaziz Medical City

Status

Completed

Conditions

Variceal Bleeding

Treatments

Drug: Erythromycin

Drug: Placebo

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01060267

RC06/019

Details and patient eligibility

About

Objectives:

Blood in stomach & oesophagus in patients with variceal bleeding often obscures the endoscopic view & makes endoscopic intervention difficult to perform. Erythromycin, a motilin agonist induces gastric emptying. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Erythromycin on endoscopic visibility and its outcome.

Full description

Methods:

Adult patients with liver cirrhosis or stigmata of chronic liver disease presenting with hematemesis and or melena within previous 12 hours were randomized in a double blind trial to receive either 125 mg erythromycin or placebo 30 minutes before endoscopy. The primary end points were endoscopic visibility assessed by objective scoring system & mean endoscopy duration. Secondary end points were need for repeat endoscopy and blood transfusions within 24 hours of first endoscopy , endoscopy related complications and length of hospital stay.

Enrollment

102 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Adult patients with liver cirrhosis or stigmata of chronic liver disease presenting with hematemesis and or melena within previous 12 hours with
Age >18 years
Informed consent
Hemodynamically stable patient at the time of endoscopy after resuscitation.

Exclusion criteria

Known allergy to erythromycin
Prior gastric lavage on admission
Current use of antiarrhythmic drugs
Prior gastric surgery
Previous history of cardiac arrhythmias
Concomitant use of antihistaminic drugs with possible drug interactions with erythromycin
Prior use of other prokinetic agents
Pregnancy or lactation