GI bleed, increasing frequency?

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

I know I haven't been a nurse very long, but even in the time I've been one, it seems like I'm seeing more and more GI bleeds on our unit. There's no obvious common denominator -- we get the alcoholics, the folks who are on heparin/coumadin/plavix/high ASA dosages, the folks with clotting disorders -- but it just seems to me like we're seeing a LOT more recently. I know the intestines are very very vascular, but so's the spleen and liver, and we haven't seen people coming in with splenic hemmorhages....the last 3 nights I've worked, I've had people with blown diverticula that resulted in bleeds and a resection, one that we just couldn't figure out -- her PT/INR went sky high, and her APTT was > 250 (our lab's way of saying, "we don't know, it's just too freakin' high") started pouring blood out of the orifice and just about bled to death before we could even get her to ICU, and two others who were due to be scoped and on Go Lytely prep for scopes.

I was just wondering if other people were seeing an upswing as well.....and I figured you guys would know if you were suddenly a lot busier than normal...

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I don't know about others, but we seem to have runs of days where we have nothing but COPD'ers for a few days, then we have GI bleeds and everyone's hanging blood all shift, then we'll get a bunch of +MI patients.

It's weird. We think it's the moon or something.

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NerdToNurse and Angie O-Plasty, I couldn't help it, I just HAD to tell you two what a kick I got out of your IDs!!!! LOVE them! Pardon my giggles.

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