Hemorrhagic complications in endoscopic mucosal resection of colorectal polyps in a tertiary hospital

Aims This study analyzes the rate of hemorrhagic complications within the first 30 days in patients undergoing endoscopic mucosal resection for colonic lesions, evaluating patient baseline characteristics, the procedure technique, and secondary hemorrhagic complications

Methods This is an observational and retrospective study analyzing patients over 18 years old who underwent EMR between 2021 and 2023 in our center, with lesions measuring 20 mm or larger. Data were collected from medical records, and statistical analysis was performed using PSPP.

Results A total of 120 patients were included, with an average age of 67 years, of whom 9.17% experienced post-EMR bleeding. The average lesion size was 38.8 mm. Among patients with hemorrhagic complications, 27.27% were on anticoagulants, and 18.18% were on antiplatelet therapy. While 72.73% of the bleeding cases required hospitalization, only 6 patients (5% of the total) experienced clinically significant bleeding. This was defined as the need for transfusion, intensive care, therapeutic colonoscopy, embolization or surgery.

Conclusions The rate of clinically significant post-procedural hemorrhage in our study was 5.45%, which aligns with the international average of hemorrhagic events reported in various case series, estimated between 6-7%.

Publication History

Article published online:
27 March 2025