Bleeding Meckel's Diverticulum: Update Course 2015

PPIs can stop bleeding from a Meckel's diverticulum located far down in the GI tract.

Bleeding Meckel's diverticulum should never be an emergency operation.

If you staple off a bleeding Meckel's diverticulum, the bleeding ulcer is still present and may continue to bleed for the next day.

Removing the Meckel's diverticulum eliminates the source of acid causing the ulcer, analogous to performing a vagotomy for a duodenal ulcer.

Bleeding from a Meckel's diverticulum is almost always at the tip of the diverticulum.

When performing laparoscopic Meckel's resection with stapling, pulling on the diverticulum can distort anatomy and lead to encroachment onto the bowel, potentially causing stricture.

Pulling the Meckel's diverticulum out through the umbilicus and marking the resection line without traction helps avoid impinging on the bowel.

With a linear staple line across the base of a Meckel's diverticulum, slight impingement on the bowel is not a concern because the bowel will dilate out.