Laboratory Studies
- A high degree of clinical awareness is the key to early diagnosis. The presence of any of the previously discussed clinical features should alert the clinician to the presence of stress gastritis.
- Useful investigations and diagnostic tools include the following:
- Hematocrit
- Coagulation profile
Procedures
- Nasogastric tube and lavage: Gastric lavage is a useful test to confirm whether blood is present in the upper GI tract and to quantify the amount of blood if found. This is roughly assessed by how much normal saline it takes before the aspirate becomes clear.
- Endoscopy is useful only in the diagnosis of stress-induced gastritis.
Feldman M. Friedman LS, Sleisenger MH, eds. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders Co; 2002:587-603.
Constantin VD, Paun S, Ciofoaia VV, Budu V, Socea B. Multimodal management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by stress gastropathy. J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. Sep 2009;18(3):279-84. [Medline].
Reveiz L, Guerrero-Lozano R, Camacho A, Yara L, Mosquera PA. Stress ulcer, gastritis, and gastrointestinal bleeding prophylaxis in critically ill pediatric patients: A systematic review*. Pediatr Crit Care Med. Sep 15 2009;epub ahead of print. [Medline].
Herzig SJ, Vaughn BP, Howell MD, Ngo LH, Marcantonio ER. Acid-suppressive medication use and the risk for nosocomial gastrointestinal tract bleeding. Arch Intern Med. Jun 13 2011;171(11):991-7. [Medline].
Fiddian-Green RG, McGough E, Pittenger G. Predictive value of intramural pH and other risk factors for massive bleeding from stress ulceration. Gastroenterology. Sep 1983;85(3):613-20.
Irwin R, Rippe J. Manual of Intensive Care Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa: JB Lippincott Co; 2001.
Khuroo MS, Yattoo GN, Javid G. A comparison of omeprazole and placebo for bleeding peptic ulcer. N Engl J Med. Apr 10 1997;336(15):1054-8.
Laine L. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 6th ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders;. 2000:198-219.
Lin HJ, Lo WC, Lee FY. A prospective randomized comparative trial showing that omeprazole prevents rebleeding in patients with bleeding peptic ulcer after successful endoscopic therapy. Arch Intern Med. Jan 12 1998;158(1):54-8. [Medline].
Petronilho F, Araujo JH, Steckert AV, et al. Effect of a gastrin-releasing peptide receptor antagonist and a proton pump inhibitor association in an animal model of gastritis. Peptides. Aug 2009;30(8):1460-5. [Medline].
van Mark A, Spallek M, Groneberg DA, Kessel R, Weiler SW. Correlates shift work with increased risk of gastrointestinal complaints or frequency of gastritis or peptic ulcer in H. pylori-infected shift workers?. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. Dec 11 2009;epub ahead of print. [Medline].
Wolfe M. Stress-related erosive syndrome. In: Bayless T, ed. Current Therapy in Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. 4th ed. St Louis, Mo: Mosby; 1994:139-43.
Wolfe MM, Sachs G. Acid suppression: optimizing therapy for gastroduodenal ulcer healing, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and stress-related erosive syndrome. Gastroenterology. Feb 2000;118(2 Suppl 1):S9-31.
Yardley JH, Hendrix TR. Textbook of Gastroenterology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: JB Lippincott Co; 2001:1456-93.

