Can a simple pill or a glue injection stop deadly stomach bleeding?

NCT ID NCT01298271

NEW Completed Prevention Sponsor: Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 18, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026

Summary

This trial asks whether endoscopic glue injection or the beta-blocker propranolol is better at preventing the first bleeding episode from gastric varices—enlarged veins in the stomach that can rupture in people with liver cirrhosis. Adults aged 18 to 80 with cirrhosis and gastric varices who have never bled from them are randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. The study tracks who experiences a first bleed and compares complication rates and survival between the groups.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: propranolol (a beta-blocker) and endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection
What this could lead to: If successful, this could identify a better first-line strategy to prevent life-threatening gastric variceal bleeding in people with cirrhosis.
What could go wrong: This is a single-center trial with 120 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Both treatments carry risks, including bleeding, infection, or side effects from the medication.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cirrhosis of liver

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

BLEEDING GASTRIC VARICES LIVER CIRRHOSIS

Contacts and locations

Locations

Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Veteran General Hospital-Taipei

Taipei, Taiwan, 11217, Taiwan

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