Hemospray Versus the Combined Conventional Technique for Endoscopic Hemostasis of Bleeding Peptic Ulcers : A Pilot Study

Hemospray (TC-325, Cook Medical Inc, Winston-Salem, NC, USA), a new adsorptive nanopowder hemostatic agent for endoscopic treatment of high-risk bleeding peptic ulcers, provides significant ease of administration compared to the combined conventional technique of saline-adrenaline injection with mechanical clip or heater probe applications. The Hemospray powder is easily applied on ulcers at difficult endoscopic positions and ulcers with fibrotic bases, where the combined conventional technique has limited efficacy. Building up on preliminary work from small single-arm studies, the investigators aim to establish the efficacy and safety of Hemospray in treating bleeding peptic ulcers in comparison with the combined conventional technique. The investigators propose a pilot study to establish our centre's feasibility of performing a prospective, randomized, parallel group trial, which compares the efficacy of Hemospray with the combined conventional technique, in the endoscopic treatment of high-risk bleeding peptic ulcers. Patients with high-risk bleeding peptic ulcers will be treated with Hemospray to determine its initial hemostasis rate (defined as endoscopically verified cessation of bleeding for at least 5 minutes after endoscopic treatment), rebleeding rate (recurrent hemorrhage during a 4-week period following the initial hemostasis) and its safety profile.