The Glasgow-Blatchford bleeding score (GBS) is a screening tool to assess the likelihood that a person with an acute

upper gastrointestinal bleeding Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is gastrointestinal bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, commonly defined as bleeding arising from the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. Blood may be observed in vomit or in altered form as black s ...

(UGIB) will need to have medical intervention such as a

blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's Circulatory system, circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used ...

endoscopic An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...

intervention. The tool may be able to identify people who do not need to be admitted to hospital after a UGIB. Advantages of the GBS over the Rockall score, which assesses the risk of death in UGIB, include a lack of subjective variables such as the severity of systemic diseases and the lack of a need for

oesophagogastroduodenoscopy Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) or oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD), also called by #Alternative names, various other names, is a Medical diagnosis, diagnostic endoscopy, endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointesti ...

(OGD) to complete the score, a feature unique to the GBS. It was developed in 2000 by Oliver Blatchford (born 24 August 1954) at the

Glasgow Royal Infirmary The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...

. In a controlled study, 16% of people presenting with UGIB had a GBS score of "0", considered low. Among this group there were no deaths or interventions needed and people were able to be effectively treated in an outpatient setting.

Criteria

The score is calculated using the table below: In the validation group, scores of 6 or more were associated with a greater than 50% risk of needing an intervention.

Score

Score is equal to "0" if the following are all present: *

Hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin, Hb or Hgb) is a protein containing iron that facilitates the transportation of oxygen in red blood cells. Almost all vertebrates contain hemoglobin, with the sole exception of the fish family Channichthyidae. Hemoglobin ...

level > 12.9 g/dL (men) or > 11.9 g/dL (women) *

Systolic blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressure" r ...

> 109 mm Hg *

Pulse In medicine, the pulse refers to the rhythmic pulsations (expansion and contraction) of an artery in response to the cardiac cycle (heartbeat). The pulse may be felt ( palpated) in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surfac ...

< 100/minute * Blood urea nitrogen level < 6.5 mmol/L * No

melena Melena is a form of blood in stool which refers to the dark black, tarry feces that are commonly associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The black color and characteristic strong odor are caused by hemoglobin in the blood being alter ...

or syncope * No past or present

liver disease Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Liver diseases File:Ground gla ...

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasgow-Blatchford Score Diagnostic gastroenterology Health in Glasgow Medical scoring system

Criteria

Score

See also

References