Effect of somatostatin combined with pantoprazole in treatment of liver cirrhosis with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Objective To investigate the effect of somatostatin( SS) combined with pantoprazole in the treatment of liver cirrhosis with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage( UGIH). Methods A total of 70 patients with liver cirrhosis and UGIH who were admitted to Jiangyan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2011 to August 2015 were enrolled and randomized into combination group and control group,with 35 patients in each group. After admission,the patients in both groups were given conventional basic treatment; the patients in the combination group were given SS combined with pantoprazole,and those in the control group were given SS alone. The treatment outcome,time to hemostasis,volume of blood transfusion,48- hour rebleeding rate,length of hospital stay,and adverse events before and after treatment were observed and compared between the two groups. The t- test was applied for comparison of continuous data between groups,the chi- square test was applied for comparison of categorical data between groups,and the Wilcoxon rank sun test was applied for comparison of ranked data between groups. Results The combination group had a significantly better treatment outcome compared with the control group,with overall response rates of 94. 3% and 62. 9%,respectively( χ2= 10. 27,P < 0. 05); the marked response rate was60. 0% in the combination group and 34. 3% in the control group,and showed no significant difference between the two groups( χ2= 2. 80,P > 0. 05); the combination group had a significantly shorter time to hemostasis,a significantly lower volume of blood transfusion,and a significantly shorter length of hospital stay compared with the control group( t = 9. 036,6. 419,and 4. 186,all P < 0. 05); the combination group had a lower 48- hour rebleeding rate than the control group,but the 48- hour rebleeding rate showed no significant difference between the two groups( χ2= 0. 22,P > 0. 05); the incidence rate of adverse events was similar between the two groups and showed no significant difference( χ2= 0. 16,P > 0. 05),and the adverse events in both groups were mild. Conclusion SS combined with pantoprazole has better efficacy than SS alone in the treatment of liver cirrhosis with UGIH. Patients treated with SS combined with pantoprazole have a short time to hemostasis,a low volume of blood transfusion,a low rebleeding rate,and a short length of hospital stay,with no serious adverse events during treatment. The combination therapy is an effective treatment of liver cirrhosis with UGIH.