The Glasgow-Blatchford score uses urea, haemoglobin, systolic blood pressure, pulse, melaena, syncope, liver disease and heart failure to estimate the need for intervention after upper gastrointestinal bleeding. It can be calculated before endoscopy.
Patients with a score of 0 or 1 have a very low risk of needing transfusion, endoscopic therapy or surgery, and major guidelines support considering them for outpatient management with early endoscopy arranged.
- Calculate the Glasgow-Blatchford score at presentation for every upper GI bleed
- A score of 0 or 1 identifies patients who may be managed as outpatients
- Arrange outpatient endoscopy for those discharged
- Resuscitate and admit higher-risk patients; timing of endoscopy matters less than resuscitation
Why it matters
It safely frees beds and endoscopy slots for patients who need them.
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