Presenting features and demographics of patients admitted with or developing LGIB while an established inpatient
| Acute admissions N=2331 N (%) | Inpatients N=185 N (%) | All patients* Total N=2528 N (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age (IQR) | 73 (56–83) | 78 (66–85) | 74 (57–83) |
| Gender | |||
| Female (Missing) | 1204 (51.7) 6 | 112 (60.5) 0 | 1319 (52.2) 7 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | |||
| 0 | 1016 (43.6) | 42 (22.7) | 1066 (42.2) |
| 1 | 530 (22.7) | 39 (21.1) | 570 (22.5) |
| ≥2 | 778 (33.4) | 104 (56.2) | 885 (35.0) |
| (Missing) | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Cardiac failure | 136 (5.8) | 22 (11.9) | 159 (6.3) |
| Myocardial infarction | 255 (10.9) | 30 (16.2) | 285 (11.3) |
| Diabetes | 335 (14.4) | 40 (21.6) | 377 (14.9) |
| Stroke | 186 (8.0) | 30 (16.2) | 217 (8.6) |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 268 (11.5) | 30 (16.2) | 298 (11.8) |
| Colorectal cancer | 108 (4.6) | 20 (10.8) | 128 (5.1) |
| Non-colorectal cancer | 234 (10.0) | 29 (15.7) | 264 (10.4) |
| Liver disease | 50 (2.1) | 5 (2.7) | 55 (2.2) |
| Dementia | 136 (5.8) | 14 (7.6) | 150 (5.9) |
| Presenting features | |||
| Bright red blood per rectum | 1723 (73.9) | 110 (59.5) | 1836 (72.6) |
| Clots per rectum | 313 (13.4) | 29 (15.7) | 344 (13.6) |
| Melaena | 99 (4.2) | 20 (10.8) | 120 (4.7) |
| Abdominal pain | 474 (20.3) | 17 (9.2) | 492 (19.5) |
| (Missing) | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Haemodynamic status† | |||
| Normal | 1851 (79.4) | 144 (77.8) | 2004 (79.3) |
| Isolated tachycardia | 368 (15.8) | 19 (10.3) | 388 (15.3) |
| Shock | 48 (2.1) | 9 (4.9) | 58 (2.3) |
| (Missing) | 64 | 13 | 78 |
| Admitting Hb (g/dL) | |||
| Median (IQR) | 12.4 (10.1–13.9) | 10.7 (8.8–12.4) | 12.2 (10.0–13.8) |
| Hb≤7.0 | 127 (5.4) | 13 (7.0) | 140 (5.5) |
| Hb 7.1–8.0 | 118 (5.1) | 14 (7.6) | 132 (5.2) |
| Hb 8.1–9.0 | 137 (5.9) | 29 (15.7) | 166 (6.6) |
| Hb 9.1–10.0 | 181 (7.8) | 20 (10.8) | 201 (8.0) |
| Hb 10.1–11.0 | 210 (9.0) | 28 (15.1) | 240 (9.5) |
| Hb 11.1–12.0 | 291 (12.5) | 23 (12.4) | 314 (12.4) |
| Hb ≥12.1 | 1253 (53.8) | 57 (30.8) | 1320 (52.2) |
| (Missing) | 14 | 1 | 15 |
| Previous admission with LGIB | 396 (17.0) | 11 (5.9) | 408 (16.1) |
| (Missing) | 443 | 50 | 495 |
| Medications | |||
| Aspirin | 532 (22.8) | 51 (27.6) | 584 (23.1) |
| Clopidogrel | 203 (8.7) | 32 (17.3) | 235 (9.3) |
| Dual antiplatelet | 65 (2.8) | 10 (5.4) | 75 (3.0) |
| Warfarin | 249 (10.7) | 21 (11.4) | 270 (10.7) |
| DOACs (total) | 122 (5.2) | 7 (3.8) | 131 (5.2) |
| Apixaban | 35 (1.5) | 3 (1.6) | 38 (1.5) |
| Dabigatran | 15 (0.6) | 1 (0.5) | 16 (0.6) |
| Rivaroxaban | 72 (3.1) | 3 (1.6) | 77 (3.0) |
| (Missing) | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| NSAIDs | 130 (5.6) | 15 (8.1) | 146 (5.8) |
| (Missing) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*Includes 10 patients classified as ‘other’ presentation and 2 with missing data on mode of presentation.
†On admission or first set of observations after developing LGIB. Shock defined as heart rate ≥100 bpm and systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg. Twenty-four (0.9%) patients appeared twice in the dataset as they were admitted with further LGIB during the audit period.
DOACs, direct oral anticoagulants; LGIB, lower GI bleeding; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.