What is tube compression of the esophagus and stomach?
Definition Tube compression of the esophagus and stomach is an emergency procedure used to stop bleeding from the upper digestive tract. Purpose Vomiting blood is both frightening and life-threatening. Among its causes are: • bleeding from the nose and throat • peptic ulcers • stomach cancer • esophageal cancer • a tear in the esophagus caused by violent vomiting (Mallory-Weiss syndrome) • breaking of blood vessels in the esophagus. The most profuse bleeding comes from veins in the lower esophagus, just above the stomach, that have dilated to enormous dimensions as the result of liver disease. When the liver shrinks due to cirrhosis (scarring from chronic disease), its blood vessels shrink, forcing blood from the intestines to find alternate routes back to the heart. The blood usually flows through tiny veins in the esophagus located just beneath the passageway where food passes downward and vomitus passes upward. Major causes for this rearrangement are alcoholic liver disease, chronic
