Abstract

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether tranexamic acid should be given to patients having an upper gastrointestinal bleed. Seven studies and two systematic reviews were directly relevant to the question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that there is insufficient evidence, at the moment, to recommend the use of tranexamic acid in the management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.