Abstract

Introduction: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a potentially life-threatening condition associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and healthcare burden. While endoscopy remains the first-line method of management, transarterial embolization (TAE) plays an important role where endoscopic therapy fails or is not feasible. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographics, etiologies, management patterns, and reintervention rates of patients with GIB undergoing angiography and TAE. Methods: This retrospective study included 43 patients who underwent angiography for GIB. Patients were stratified as upper (UGIB) or lower GIB (LGIB). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographics, clinical characteristics, pre-procedural investigations, interventions, and outcomes. Results: Of the 43 patients (mean age 58.9 ± 17.9 years), 62.8% had UGIB and 37.2% had LGIB. Pre-procedural evaluation was performed in 97.7% of patients, including CT scans (88.4%) and endoscopy (67.4%). Embolization was performed in 76.7% of cases, including prophylactic (39.5%) and therapeutic (32.6%) approaches. Of the patients with contrast extravasation on CT, 66.7% underwent embolization, with 64.3% of these patients requiring no further intervention. Within 30 days, 18.6% of all patients who underwent angiography required endoscopic reintervention, 16.3% required surgery, and 7.0% died due to ongoing/recurrent bleeding. Complications were infrequent, including acute kidney injury (2.3%) and access site hematoma (4.7%). Conclusions: Angiography with TAE is a valuable and broadly safe intervention for GIB refractory to endoscopic management. Despite a moderate rate of reintervention, it provides effective hemorrhage control in a substantial proportion of patients. Further studies are required to identify predictors of clinical success and optimize patient selection.

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