Impending Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding with Hemorrhagic Shock Diagnosed by Gastric Point-of-care Ultrasound

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a life-threatening pathology that may present in an occult fashion and lead to subsequent rapid decompensation from hemorrhagic shock. Use of gastric point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is underutilized in the emergency department despite its potential to support swift UGIB diagnosis and evaluate for aspiration risk. In this report, gastric POCUS was used to rapidly identify intragastric blood in a patient presenting with impending hemodynamic instability. This prompted immediate escalation of care, initiation of resuscitation, and early gastroenterology consultation for successful endoscopic treatment.