Post written by Andrew C. Storm, MD, Chair of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

GI bleeding is the most common indication for admission to the hospital in gastroenterology. Determining the source and location of bleeding can be challenging and often requires procedures such as upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, and small-bowel enteroscopy for diagnosis and treatment.

Ideally, physicians can triage and plan for which procedures are needed urgently and which patients require an upper versus lower GI examination to improve patient outcomes and save time and resources.

The PillSense capsule (EnteraSense Ltd, Galway, Ireland), swallowed at bedside and interpreted within 5 to 10 minutes with a simple binary “Blood Detected” versus “No Blood Detected” result, was 93% sensitive and 91% specific for detecting blood within the upper GI tract for patients admitted with suspected upper GI bleeding.

This may have important implications for the minimally invasive evaluation and triage of patients with GI bleeding. Spending fewer days in the hospital and avoiding unnecessary admissions, colon preparation, and emergency procedures are all possible benefits of using the device.

My coauthors and I would like thank the incredibly dedicated nurses, technicians, and fellows of the Mayo Clinic Bleed Team. American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Past President Christopher Gostout, MD, founded the dedicated Bleed Team, one of the few such teams in the world, more than 30 years ago. The team has since served patients with emergency endoscopy needs.

A, PillSense capsule. B, PillSense receiver. C, Positive PillSense result, suggesting presence of blood in the upper GI tract. D, Negative PillSense result, suggesting the absence of blood in the upper GI tract.

Read the full article online.

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