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We read with considerable interest the recent report by Ibrahim et al 1 on the use of haemostatic powder in addition to standard of care management for oesophageal variceal bleeding. The authors have performed a randomised controlled trial of early (<2 hours) application of haemostatic powder compared with ‘early’ elective endoscopy (performed at 12–24 hours) and found a significant improvement in the primary outcome, which was clinical haemostasis in the first 24 hours and endoscopic haemostasis at early elective endoscopy. The authors suggest that this very early control of bleeding could translate into improved survival, which was significantly better in the powder group although the trial was not powered for this outcome. The authors highlight that despite guidelines …
Footnotes
Contributors JM and JO’B conceived, drafted and approved the final version.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Not required.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.