Georgia

Acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a severe disease in the whole world and a serious cause of mortality. It requires emergency care. The main causes of upper GI bleeding are peptic ulcers and varicosis of esophagus which appear as a result of liver cirrhosis. The accurate indicator of GI bleeding frequency is not available in Georgia. However, the presence of the known risk factors of peptic ulcers, such as helicobacteria pylori infection,¹ and, for liver cirrhosis, such risk factors as hepatitis C,^{2, 3}, can suggest that GI bleeding is a pressing issue in Georgia as well. In 2012, about 275 patients with GI bleeding took treatment in the High Technology Medical Center, one of the main medical centers in Tbilisi.

About 10% of patients with acute GI bleeding die in the hospital. Other cases of acute GI bleeding require surgical interventions and blood transfusions which are not always safe/available. By using  simple, cheap and effective treatment to reduce blood loss, we can prevent thousands of premature deaths and improve the management of GI bleeding in Georgia and across the world.

For further information, please refer to the HALT-IT Georgia protocol