[Therapy of bleeding mucosal erosion of the stomach with secretin].

In a prospective study patients with bleeding from acute gastric mucosal lesions were treated by i.v. infusions of secretin. 67 patients received natural secretin (Karolinska-Institut Stockholm), 14 patients received synthetic secretin (Firma Hoechst Frankfurt). In 64 of the 67 patients (95%) who received natural secretin, bleeding stopped within the first 12 hours. In 18 of these 64 patients (28%) bleeding recurred after cessation of secretin infusion; all recurrences were stopped by secretin. In one of the 14 patients who received synthetic secretin, bleeding could not be stopped. In three of the remaining 13 patients bleeding recurred after cessation of secretin infusion, but could be stopped again by continuation of secretin infusion. Severe side effects were not observed. Secretin seems to be an effective drug in the treatment of stress ulcer bleeding.