Evaluation of Rockall and Blatchford Scores and Forrest Staging in Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the predictive value of Rockall and Blatchford scores and endoscopic Forrest staging in the need for transfusion and intensive care in upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 294 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding who presented to the emergency department between January 1 and June 1, 2013. Results: The mean age of 294 patients was 58.73±21.30 years. The endoscopic diagnoses of the patients included peptic ulcer (43.5%, n=128), erosive gastritis (17.3%, n=51), and erosive bulbitis (12.6%, n=37). There was no statistically significant relationship between Forrest staging and Rockall and Blatchford scores (p=0.944, p=0.757). The need for blood transfusion was significantly more frequent in patients with a Rockall score of 5 and above and those with a high Blatchford score (p=0.004, p=0.001). Patients with a Rockall score of 5 and above were significantly more common among those referred to the intensive care unit (p=0.003). Conclusion: Pre-endoscopic Rockall and Blatchford scores and endoscopic Forrest staging can be used safely in predicting transfusion requirement, intensive care requirement, mortality risk, treatment and follow-up of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, and thus may help to reduce health expenditures.