A cerebrovascular stroke following endoscopy for an elderly patient with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Elderly people constitute an increasing proportion of those presenting with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Not only in upper gastrointestinal bleeding is advanced age a risk of death, but also exceeding 60 years of age results in an increased risk of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. Factors likely to influence the morbidity and mortality associated with endoscopy in an elderly cohort with acute gastrointestinal bleeding include the acuity and severity of bleeding and the presence of comorbid conditions. Audits have shown a surprisingly high incidence of both morbidity and mortality following upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The following incident is a case report of a cerebrovascular accident following diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for an elderly patient with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.