Researchers reviewed existing studies on a preventive procedure called prophylactic transarterial embolization (pTAE). This procedure blocks a bleeding artery and is considered for patients with serious, non-variceal stomach bleeding after doctors have initially controlled the bleeding with a scope, especially if the ulcer is in a high-risk location or is large.
The review, which looked at 10 studies including two randomized trials, found that pTAE is technically possible to do and generally safe when performed by experts using specific criteria within 24 hours. While the main randomized trials did not prove the procedure was better for all patients, other data from studies and from patients who actually received the procedure suggest it might lower the chance of the ulcer bleeding again and reduce the need for emergency surgery in a specific group of very high-risk patients.
It is important to understand this is not a new standard treatment. Current medical guidelines do not recommend using pTAE routinely. The evidence is mixed and comes from different types of studies, not all of which are the strongest kind. More large, well-designed trials are needed to know for sure which patients might benefit. For now, this remains a specialized option that doctors might consider in very specific, high-risk situations, not a routine step in care.