Antacid vs sucralfate in preventing acute gastrointestinal tract bleeding in abdominal aortic surgery. A randomized trial in 50 patients

Abstract

We carried out a randomized, controlled trial of sucralfate vs antacid as prophylaxis against upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding in 50 patients who had undergone abdominal aortic surgery. The groups were similar in age, sex, duration of prophylaxis, and number of risk factors per patient. No patient in the antacid group had upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding. One patient in the sucralfate group had frank bleeding from the nasogastric tube; however, she also had a coagulopathy and thrombocytopenia. The bleeding stopped when these conditions were corrected. No complications occurred in the sucralfate group; five patients in the antacid group had minor complications. Sucralfate was as effective as antacid in this trial, and it resulted in a considerable saving in nursing time.