Capsule Endoscopy for the Risk Stratification and Management of Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Emergency Departments: A Systematic Review on Triage, Risk Stratification, and Management

Gastrointestinal bleeding is a common occurrence in emergency departments. The standard of care for it is an esophagogastroduodenoscopy within 24 hours to diagnose and potentially treat the bleeding. Several tools and pre-endoscopic risk assessment scores are used to help evaluate and manage upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Additionally, capsule endoscopy provides a non-invasive method to visualize the gastrointestinal tract and identify lesions. The aim of this review was to explore the role of capsule endoscopy in the triage, stratification, and management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding patients in the emergency department. Four databases, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, were searched using keywords related to capsule endoscopy and gastrointestinal bleeding in the emergency department. Studies were included if they assessed the use of capsule endoscopy in emergency settings for managing upper gastrointestinal bleeding. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts and reviewing bibliographies for relevant articles, data on study design, participant demographics, capsule endoscopy procedure description, and outcomes were collected into a pre-designed spreadsheet. The review focused on the triage, risk stratification, management impact, and safety of capsule endoscopy. The literature search identified 712 records, with 37 studies screened for full-text review, resulting in nine studies included in the review. These studies involved 634 patients and primarily compared capsule endoscopy with standard care in emergency settings. Capsule endoscopy demonstrated potential advantages, including improved identification of high-risk lesions and reduced hospital admissions. Capsule endoscopy effectively detected bleeding and reduced the need for invasive procedures compared to standard practices. Capsule endoscopy also had lower costs relative to traditional triaging methods. The use of capsule endoscopy in the risk stratification and management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in emergency settings is promising. Its high diagnostic accuracy can enhance patient outcomes by enabling timely and precise diagnosis, reducing the need for invasive procedures. Future research should focus on larger randomized trials to validate capsule endoscopy's efficacy and explore its cost-effectiveness.