BACKGROUND: The growing incidence of lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is leading to a rise in-hospital admissions even though most LGIB episodes are self-limiting. The Oakland and SHA2PE scores were designed to identify patients best suited to outpatient care. Our aim is explore the validity of the SHA2PE score and compare both of these scores in terms of predictiveness of safe discharge.
METHODS: Retrospective observational study of LGIB patients admitted to a tertiary hospital between June 2014 and June 2019. Safe discharge was defined as the absence of all the following: blood transfusion, haemostatic intervention, re-bleeding, in-hospital death, and re-admission due to LGIB within 28 days after discharge.
RESULTS: From 595 hospital admissions for LGIB, 398 episodes were included. Fifty-four per cent met safe discharge criteria, with these cases being younger, with a lower score in the Charlson\'s index and significantly higher haemoglobin concentration upon arrival. The performance of both scores was good, with an AUC for the Oakland score of 0.85 (95% CI 0.82-0.89) and of 0.797 (95% CI 0.75-0.84) for the SHA2PE score. The Oakland score performed better in terms of prediction of safe discharge, with a positive predictive value and specificity of 100% when a cut-off value of ≤ 8 points was used; however, only a minority of patients might benefit from its implementation given its low sensitivity.
CONCLUSIONS: Almost half of the patients admitted for LGIB met criteria for safe discharge. However, the available indexes only allow for the identification of a small proportion of those patients candidates for outpatient care.

BACKGROUND: Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is a common occurrence in clinical practice. However, appendiceal bleeding is an extremely rare condition that can easily be overlooked and misdiagnosed. The preoperative detection of appendiceal bleeding often poses challenges due to the lack of related guidelines and consensus, resulting in controversial treatment approaches.
METHODS: We presented a case of a 33-year-old female who complained of hematochezia that had lasted for 1 d. Colonoscopy revealed continuous bleeding in the appendiceal orifice. A laparoscopic appendectomy was performed immediately, and a pulsating blood vessel was observed in the mesangium of the appendix, accordingly, active bleeding into the appendicular lumen was considered. Pathological examination revealed numerous hyperplastic vessels in the appendiceal mucosa and dilated capillary vessels.
CONCLUSIONS: The preoperative detection of appendiceal bleeding is often challenging, colonoscopy is extremely important, bowel preparation is not routinely recommended for patients with acute LGIB or only low-dose bowel preparation is recommended. Laparoscopic appendectomy is the most appropriate treatment for appendiceal bleeding.

A 53-year-old woman with a history of recurrent right lower quadrant pain presented with slightly bloody stools in April 2023. She was initially diagnosed with acute diverticulitis using an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan and was treated conservatively. On the second day, however, she reported significant hematochezia. A subsequent contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed an extravasation in the ascending colon, which was promptly managed with colonoscopy. Despite initial hemostasis, she experienced recurrent bleeding. Another contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed a pseudoaneurysm with ongoing extravasation in the same area. Angiography confirmed a pseudoaneurysm in a branch of the ileocolic artery, which was successfully treated by embolization. She was discharged after an 18 day hospital stay. This case highlights a pseudoaneurysm caused by diverticulitis.

This study aimed to determine the performance of the Oakland, Glasgow-Blatchford, and AIMS65 scores in predicting the clinical outcomes of acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB).
This prospective cohort study was conducted from July 2020 to July 2021. Patients admitted with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding were enrolled. The Oakland, Glasgow-Blatchford, and AIMS65 scores were calculated. The primary outcome was validating the performance of the scores in predicting severe LGIB; secondary outcomes were comparing the performance of the scores in predicting the need for blood transfusion, hemostatic interventions, in-hospital rebleeding, and mortality. Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated for all outcomes. The associations between all three scores and the primary outcomes were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.
Patients with acute LGIB (n = 150) were enrolled (88 [58.7%] men and mean age: 63.6 ± 17.3 years). The rates of severe LGIB, need for blood transfusion, hemostatic intervention, in-hospital rebleeding, and in-hospital mortality were 54.7%, 79.3%, 10.7%, and 3.3%, respectively. The Oakland and Glasgow-Blatchford scores had comparable performance in predicting severe LGIB, need for blood transfusion, and mortality, outperforming the AIMS65 score. All scores were suboptimal for predicting hemostatic interventions and rebleeding.
Our results demonstrate the predictive performances of the Oakland score and the GBS are excellent and comparable for severe LGIB, the need for blood transfusion, and in-hospital mortality in patients with acute LGIB. Thus, GBS could be considered as an alternative predictive score for stratification of the patients with acute LGIB.

BACKGROUND: Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is a common reason for emergency department visits and subsequent hospitalizations. Recent data suggests that low-risk patients may be safely evaluated as an outpatient. Recommendations for healthcare systems to identify low-risk patients who can be safely discharged with timely outpatient follow-up have yet to be established. The primary objective of this study was to determine the role of patient predictors for the patients with LGIB to receive urgent endoscopic intervention.
METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on 142 patients. Data was collected on patient demographics, clinical features, comorbidities, medications, hemodynamic parameters, laboratory values, and diagnostic imaging. Logistic regression analysis, independent samples t-testing, Mann Whitney U testing for non-parametric data, and univariate analysis of categorical variables by Chi square test was performed to determine relationships within the data.
RESULTS: On logistic regression analysis, A hemoglobin drop of > 20 g/L was the only variable that predicted endoscopic intervention (p = 0.030). Tachycardia, hypotension, or presence of anticoagulation were not significantly associated with endoscopic intervention (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: A hemoglobin drop of > 20 g/L was the only patient parameter that predicted the need for urgent endoscopic intervention in the emergency department.

Lipomas are benign tumors that can affect the digestive tract, everywhere from the hypopharynx to the rectum. Lipomas affecting the large intestine are the second most common benign tumor, after colon adenoma. We present the case of a 46-year-old patient who was initially hospitalized in the Gastroenterology Clinic with a diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding. The colonoscopy raised the suspicion of a malignant tumor of the transverse colon, but the computed tomography scan showed the existence of a lipoma that measured 16/11/12 cm that occupied the ascending and transverse colon, though the CT examination could not determinate the origin of the lipoma. After restoring the hydro-electrolytic and fluid balance of the patient, surgery was performed and a huge lipoma of the ileocecal valve was discovered. Extended right hemicolectomy was performed, with good subsequent postoperative recovery of the patient, who was discharged on the fifth day after the surgery. The peculiarity of this case is the huge size of the benign tumor. Lipomas with digestive system localization, although rare, must be considered in patients arriving at the Emergency Department with digestive hemorrhages, intussusception and even intestinal obstruction.

Introduction Lower gastrointestinal bleeds (LGIB) are defined by having a bleeding point in the gastrointestinal tract beyond the ligament of Treitz. The most common causes include diverticular bleeds, tumours, and colitis. There are no National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines regarding safe discharge of patients with LGIB. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of the Oakland score, as suggested by the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines, in patients presenting with LGIB at William Harvey Hospital. Methods Patients with LGIB who presented to Accident & Emergency or inpatient referral from January to December 2023 were included in this retrospective study. Data was extracted from patients\' Sunrise documentation. The Oakland score for each patient was calculated. Those with a score of ≤8 were deemed safe for discharge; those with a higher score were deemed unsuitable. Patients\' admission, discharges, and adverse outcomes, such as representation, blood transfusion, or further intervention, were investigated. Patients with no adverse outcomes were deemed to have had a safe discharge. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for the Oakland score and adverse outcome (and therefore safe discharge) were calculated. Results A total of 123 patients were included. These led to a total of 144 LGIB presentations to the hospital. Twenty-nine patients had an Oakland score of ≤8; 21 (72.4%) cases were initially discharged with four representations (19.0%) and eight (27.6%) were admitted although none of these suffered from any adverse outcomes. For those who scored ≤8, 25 (86.2%) were therefore deemed to have had a safe discharge. A total of 115 had a score >8; 43 (37.4%) were initially discharged, 72 (62.6%) admitted and 41 (35.7%) experienced at least one adverse outcome including 16 (13.9%) representations, 21 (18.3%) blood transfusions, three (2.6%) surgical interventions and one (0.9%) endoscopic haemostasis. Out of the 115 cases which scored >8, 74 (64.3%) were deemed to have had a safe discharge. The AUROC for safe discharge was 0.84. Conclusion The Oakland score seems to be a safe and reliable tool for identifying LGIB patients who could be safely discharged home without hospital intervention. However, further research is required to assess whether a score of >8 could be used as many patients with a higher score did not experience adverse outcomes.

Appendicular mucinous neoplasms, constituting less than 1% of gastrointestinal tract neoplasms, are heterogeneous entities. They may be asymptomatic, discovered incidentally, or present as large tumors due to mucin accumulation. The lack of standardized treatment complicates management. Imaging studies, particularly CT scans, are crucial for diagnosis and follow-up. This case report presents two clinical cases of women in their sixth and seventh decades of life with a history of lower gastrointestinal bleeding, mild anemia in laboratory studies, and incomplete colonoscopies. The diagnosis, confirmed through CT scans, led to the decision for surgical intervention in both cases, involving laparoscopic right hemicolectomy with ileotransverse anastomosis. Subsequently, histopathological reports confirmed the diagnosis of high-grade appendicular mucinous neoplasms, and a follow-up plan was established with imaging studies every six months with no recurrence at two years. Over 50% of appendicular tumors are mucinous neoplasms originating from low-grade mucinous neoplasms. Given the low lymph node invasion (2%), appendectomy may suffice if the entire tumor is excised. Extensive resections or right hemicolectomy are reserved for larger tumors or high-grade neoplasms to minimize local recurrence risk. Mucinous neoplasms with acellular mucin and peritoneal invasion may require cytoreduction or right hemicolectomy, while those with mucinous epithelium may need hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) due to the risk of local recurrence, worsened by the presence of extra appendiceal epithelial cells. Disease-free and overall survival depend on treatment and initial lesion characterization. A five-year survival rate of 86% is reported for low-grade mucinous neoplasms. Follow-up approaches lack an ideal standard, generally involving physical examinations and imaging studies every six months to one year during the first six years.

Objective Acute hemorrhagic rectal ulcer (AHRU) is characterized by sudden, painless, and massive bleeding from rectal ulcers. To date, few studies have analyzed the risk factors for AHRU rebleeding. In this study, we clarified the risk factors of rebleeding after initial hemostasis of AHRU through a multicenter study. Methods A total of 149 patients diagnosed with AHRU between January 2015 and May 2020 at 3 medical centers were enrolled. We retrospectively investigated the following factors: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), performance status (PS), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), comorbidities, medications, laboratory examinations, endoscopic findings, view of the entire rectum on endoscopy, hemostasis method, blood transfusion history, shock, instructions for posture change after initial hemostasis, and clinical course. Results Rebleeding was observed in 35 (23%) of 149 patients. A multivariate analysis showed that significant factors for rebleeding were PS 4 [odds ratio (OR), 5.23; 95% confidence interval (CI)], 1.97-13.9; p=0.001], a blood transfusion history (OR, 3.66; 95% CI, 1.41-9.51; p=0.008), low an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99; p=0.001), poor view of the whole rectum on endoscopy (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.12-0.90; p=0.030), and use of monopolar hemostatic forceps (OR, 4.89; 95% CI, 1.37-17.4; p=0.014). Conclusion Factors associated with rebleeding of AHRU were a poor PS (PS4), blood transfusion, a low eGFR, poor view of the whole rectum on endoscopy, and the use of monopolar hemostatic forceps.

BACKGROUND: Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (ALGIB) is a common cause of hospitalization. Recent guidelines recommend the use of prognostic scales for risk stratification. However, it remains unclear whether risk scores are more accurate than some simpler prognostic variables.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the predictive values of haemoglobin alone and the Oakland score for predicting outcomes in ALGIB patients.
METHODS: Single-centre, retrospective study at a University Hospital. Data were extracted from the hospital\'s clinical records. The Oakland score was calculated at admission. Study outcomes were defined according to the original article describing the Oakland score: safe discharge (the primary Oakland score outcome), transfusion, rebleeding, readmission, therapeutic intervention and death. Area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) curve and accuracy using haemoglobin and the Oakland score were calculated for each outcome.
RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-eight patients were included. Eighty-four (32.6%) needed transfusion, 50 (19.4%) presented rebleeding, 31 (12.1%) required therapeutic intervention, 20 (7.8%) were readmitted and six (2.3%) died. There were no differences in the AUROC curve values for haemoglobin versus the Oakland score with regard to safe discharge (0.82 (0.77-0.88) vs 0.80 (0.74-0.86), respectively) or to therapeutic intervention and death. Haemoglobin was significantly better for predicting transfusion and rebleeding, and the Oakland score was significantly better for predicting readmission.
CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the Oakland score did not perform better than haemoglobin alone for predicting the outcome of patients with ALGIB. The usefulness of risk scores for predicting outcomes in clinical practice remains uncertain.