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ABSTRACT
Despite the generally declining trend in the incidence of peptic ulcers, peptic ulcer bleeding remains a prevalent and clinically significant condition. Additionally, despite the development of therapeutic endoscopy and acid-suppressive therapy, the overall mortality associated with peptic ulcer bleeding has remained at about 6% to 14%. Management of acute peptic ulcer bleeding requires prompt resuscitation, risk assessment, early endoscopic evaluation, and early initiation of pharmacotherapy. Advances in therapeutic endoscopic techniques and antisecretory therapies in the past few decades have reduced the incidence of recurrent bleeding and the mortality rate associated with this disease. Strategies to prevent recurrence have been defined for various causes of peptic ulcer bleeding. This article reviews the current diagnosis and management of acute peptic ulcer bleeding.