Massive, Life-Threatening Bleeding in Crohn’s Disease

Risk factors for rebleeding in Crohn's disease patients with acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding: With special reference to the role of anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) is uncommon; however, it is a potentially life-threatening complication, and its recurrence is common. We thus aimed to identify the predictors for rebleeding in CD patients with acute severe LGIB and particularly focused on whether anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy lowers the risk of rebleeding compared with conventional medical therapy (CMT) or surgery.

METHODS

The risk of rebleeding was analyzed in 131 CD patients with acute severe LGIB. Patients were classified into the CMT group (n = 99), anti-TNF therapy group (n = 22), and surgery group (n = 10). No patients in the surgery group received anti-TNF therapy.

RESULTS

During the median follow-up of 98 months after the first episode of acute severe LGIB, rebleeding occurred in 50.5%, 18.2%, and 30.0% of the CMT group, anti-TNF therapy group, and surgery group, respectively (P = 0.015). The cumulative risks of rebleeding at 1 and 10 years were 20.0% and 64.7% in the CMT group, 13.6% and 18.4% in the anti-TNF therapy group, and 0% and 40.7% in the surgery group, respectively (P = 0.020). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that anti-TNF therapy was associated with a lower risk of rebleeding compared with CMT (hazard ratio, 0.303; 95% confidence interval, 0.108-0.849; P = 0.023).

CONCLUSIONS

In CD patients with acute severe LGIB, anti-TNF therapy may reduce the risk of rebleeding compared with CMT. Although surgery is considered effective in preventing early rebleeding, concomitant anti-TNF therapy may be helpful in further lowering the long-term risk of rebleeding.

Inflammatory bowel disease position statement of the Italian Society of Colorectal Surgery (SICCR): Crohn's disease

The Italian Society of Colorectal Surgery (SICCR) promoted the project reported here, which consists of a position statement of Italian colorectal surgeons to address the surgical aspects of Crohn's disease management. Members of the society were invited to express their opinions on several items proposed by the writing committee, based on evidence available in the literature. The results are presented, focusing on relevant points. The present paper is not an alternative to available guidelines; rather, it offers a snapshot of the attitudes of SICCR surgeons about the surgical treatment of Crohn's disease. The committee was able to identify some points of major disagreement and suggested strategies to improve quality of available data and acceptance of guidelines.

Diagnostic Value of Computed Tomography in Crohn's Disease Patients Presenting with Acute Severe Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Objective

To investigate the diagnostic yield of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in Crohn's disease (CD) patients presenting with acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB), and the role of CT in predicting the risk of rebleeding.

Materials and Methods

A consecutive series of 110 CD patients presenting with acute severe LGIB between 2005 and 2016 were analyzed. Among them, 86 patients who had undergone contrast-enhanced CT constituted the study cohort. The diagnostic yield of CT for detecting contrast extravasation was obtained for the entire cohort and compared between different CT techniques. In a subgroup of 62 patients who had undergone CT enterography (CTE) and showed a negative result for extravasation on CTE, the association between various clinical and CTE parameters and the risk of rebleeding during subsequent follow-up was investigated using Cox regression analysis.

Results

The diagnostic yield of CT was 10.5% (9 of 86 patients). The yield did not significantly differ between single-phase and multiphase examinations (p > 0.999), or between non-enterographic CT and CTE (p = 0.388). Extensive CD (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 3.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–9.80; p = 0.034) and bowel wall-to-artery enhancement ratio (adjusted HR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.21–6.54; p = 0.016) were significantly independently associated with increased rebleeding risks, whereas anti-tumor necrosis factor-α therapy after the bleeding independently decreased the risk of rebleeding (adjusted HR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.07–0.95; p = 0.041).

Conclusion

The diagnostic yield of contrast-enhanced CT was not high in CD patients presenting with acute severe LGIB. Nevertheless, even a negative CTE may be beneficial as it can help predict the risk of later rebleeding.

Crohn's Disease of the Colon, Rectum, and Anus

There is no cure for Crohn disease. Newer treatments, such as biological therapy, have led to an improved quality of life. This article focuses on the surgical management of Crohn disease of the colon, rectum, and anus. Restorative and nonrestorative surgical options for colonic Crohn disease are discussed. Treatment options for perianal Crohn disease are also reviewed.

Prevalence and risk factors of acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding in Crohn disease

Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (ALGIB) is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of Crohn disease (CD). Thus far, few studies of ALGIB in the context of CD have been published, most of which were case reports with limited value. We aimed to explore the prevalence of ALGIB in CD patients, evaluate risk factors for hemorrhagic CD and its recurrence, and analyze clinical data of the death cases.A total of 1374 CD patients registered from January 2007 to June 2013 were examined. Medical records of 73 patients with ALGIB and 146 matched as controls were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to identify risk factors for ALGIB and the cumulative probability of rebleeding. Kaplan-Meier curves with log-rank tests were used to demonstrate the cumulative survival rates of rebleeding.The prevalence of ALGIB was 5.31% (73/1374) in this study. In the univariate analysis, possible risk factors for ALGIB were duration of CD (odds ratio [OR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.33-1.09, P = 0.095), perianal disease (OR 1.96, 95% CI 0.92-4.20, P = 0.082), left colon involvement (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.10-4.24, P = 0.025), azathioprine use ≥1 year (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.23-0.90, P = 0.023), and previous hemorrhage history (OR 11.86, 95% CI 5.38-26.12, P < 0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, left colon involvement (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.04-4.91, P = 0.039), azathioprine use ≥1 year (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.20-0.99, P = 0.044), and previous hemorrhage history (OR 13.04, 95% CI 5.66-30.04, P < 0.0001) remained independent influencing factors. Older age (HR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07-0.77, P = 0.018), surgical treatment (HR 0.17, 95% CI 0.06-0.50, P < 0.001), and having bleeding episodes >3 months ago (HR 0.24, 95% CI 0.07-0.82, P = 0.022) resulted to be predictors associated with rebleeding after discharge. Patients who died often suffered severe concomitant diseases, and the overall mortality rate was 8.22% (6/73).We speculated that a special hemorrhagic phenotype of CD that was predisposed to rebleeding may exist. Further studies are warranted to investigate the pathogenesis and discover the optimum treatments of choice.

Risk factors and outcome of acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding in Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND

Acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding in Crohn's disease is uncommon, but is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We aimed to identify risk factors for acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with Crohn's disease and assess the cumulative probability of rebleeding in relation to therapeutic modality.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 70 Crohn's patients (4.0%) with acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding and compared these with matched 140 Crohn's patients without bleeding.

RESULTS

The cumulative probability of bleeding after diagnosis of Crohn's disease was 1.7%, 3.6%, 6.5%, and 10.3% after 1, 5, 10, and 20 years respectively. At presentation, the median haemoglobin concentration was 8.4g/dL (range, 4.7-11.6g/dL). Use of azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine decreased the risk of lower gastrointestinal bleeding (OR: 0.525, 95% CI: 0.304-0.906, p=0.021). Bleeding recurred in 29 patients (41.4%) after a median time of 3.2 months (range, 15 days-94.7 months). One out of eleven patients treated with infliximab rebled. The cumulative probability of rebleeding tended to be lower in patients treated with infliximab than in those receiving other treatments (p=0.076).

CONCLUSIONS

Azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine may reduce the risk of acute severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding. The rebleeding is common, but infliximab may decrease rebleeding.

Endoscopic assessment of inflammatory bowel disease: colonoscopy/esophagogastroduodenoscopy

Endoscopy plays an important role in the initial diagnosis of IBD, including the evaluation of disease severity, activity, and extent. The implications of complete mucosal healing further confirm the function of endoscopy in the follow-up of IBD patients. The use of therapeutic endoscopy, for example stricture dilatation, can avoid the need for bowel resection. Modalities such as capsule endoscopy, EUS, NBI, CE, and other emerging techniques are likely to have an increasing role in the management of IBD, particularly in the area of dysplasia surveillance and treatment.

Blood transfusion for the treatment of acute anaemia in inflammatory bowel disease and other digestive diseases

Allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) is frequently used as the first therapeutic option for the treatment of acute anaemia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially when it developed due to gastrointestinal or perioperative blood loss, but is not risk-free. Adverse effects of ABT include, but are not limited to, acute hemolytic reaction (wrong blood or wrong patient), febrile non-hemolytic transfusional reaction, bacterial contamination, transfusion-related acute lung injury, transfusion associated circulatory overload, transfusion-related immuno-modulation, and transmission of almost all infectious diseases (bacteria, virus, protozoa and prion), which might result in increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the main physiological goal of ABT, i.e. to increase oxygen consumption by the hypoxic tissues, has not been well documented. In contrast, the ABT is usually misused only to increase the haemoglobin level within a fixed protocol [mostly two by two packed red blood cell (PRC) units] independently of the patient’s tolerance to normovolemic anaemia or his clinical response to the transfusion of PRC units according to a “one-by-one” administration schedule. Evidence-based clinical guidelines may promote best transfusion practices by implementing restrictive transfusion protocols, thus reducing variability and minimizing the avoidable risks of transfusion, and the use of autologous blood and pharmacologic alternatives. In this regard, preoperative autologous blood donation (PABD) consistently diminished the frequency of ABT, although its contribution to ABT avoidance is reduced when performed under a transfusion protocol. In addition, interpretation of utility of PABD in surgical IBD patients is hampered by scarcity of published data. However, the role of autologous red blood cells as drug carriers is promising. Finally, it must be stressed that a combination of methods used within well-constructed protocols will offer better prospects for blood conservation in selected IBD patients undergoing elective surgery.

Operative management of Crohn's disease of the colon including anorectal disease

Evaluation and management of the patient who has Crohn's disease of the colon, rectum, and anus is challenging for even the most experienced provider. Because of its broad spectrum of presentation, recurrent nature, and potential for high morbidity, the surgeon needs to not only treat the acute situation but also keep in mind the potential long-term ramifications. Although there are exciting new medications and treatment modalities yielding promising results, surgery continues to remain at the forefront for the care of these patients. This article reviews various surgical options for the patient who has Crohn's disease of the colon, rectum, and perianal region with emphasis on symptomatic resolution and optimization of function.