Rectal bleeding or haematochezia is the passage of fresh blood per rectum. It is generally caused by bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tractbut may occur in patients with large upper GI bleeds or from small bowel lesions. In this article, we shall look at the causes, key clinical features, investigations, and management of haematochezia.
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Hematochezia is the passage of fresh blood through the anus, usually in or with stools contrast with melena. Hematochezia is commonly associated with lower gastrointestinal bleedingbut may also occur from a brisk upper gastrointestinal bleed. The difference between hematochezia and rectorrhagia is that, in the latter, rectal bleeding is not associated with defecation; instead, it is associated with expulsion of fresh bright red blood without stools.
Diverticular bleeding is a common cause of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Patients typically present with massive and painless rectal hemorrhage. If bleeding is severe, initial resuscitative measures should include airway maintenance and oxygen supplementation, followed by measurement of hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, and blood typing and crossmatching.
A year-old male patient presented to emergency department with massive bleeding per rectum. He used to be chronically constipated and many a time either self digitation or spoon was required to remove the stool. Per abdominal examination was normal.
Keywords : gastrointestinal hemorrhagehemostasishypertension, portalliver cirrhosis. Published online: August 31, Life-threatening rectal variceal bleeding is a rare complication of liver cirrhosis.
In the lower digestive tract, the large intestine and rectum are frequent sites of bleeding. Inflammation from various causes can contribute to produce extensive bleeding from the colon. Different intestinal infections cause inflammation and bloody diarrhoea.
Use the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more. Massive rectal bleeding can pose a difficult problem in management.
Professional Reference articles are designed for health professionals to use. You may find the Rectal Bleeding Blood in Stool article more useful, or one of our other health articles. The passage of blood per rectum is a very common symptom.
Background: Acute hemorrhagic rectal ulcer AHRU can be found in patients with severe comorbid illness, who are bedridden for a long time. Per anal suturing is a quick and feasible treatment. However, recurrent bleeding occurs frequently after suture ligation of a bleeder and can be life-threatening.