Proton pump inhibitors for GI Bleeding
Omeprazole and pantoprazole belong to a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors. They are approved for treating ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux and other conditions caused by excessive acid in the stomach. They work by completely blocking the production of stomach acid. They do this by shutting down a system in the stomach known as the proton pump.
In an article on the prevention of upper GI bleeding in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology from Leyenburg Hospital in The Hague, Netherlands, the researchers point out that two trials show that patients who receive omeprazole run a significantly lower risk of bleeding than patients receiving ranitidine.
An article in the World Journal of Gastroenterology from the Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan reported on a study to determine whether intravenous pantoprazole could improve the efficacy of ranitidine as an add-on treatment to prevent recurrence of bleeding after endoscopy therapy. They divided 102 patients to receive one of the two therapies. Bleeding occurred in 4% of the pantoprazole group compared to 16 % of the ranitidine group. The investigators concluded that pantoprazole was the superior therapy.