Topical Application of Sucralfate in Promoting Healing of Esophageal Ulcers After Esophageal Varices Ligation

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Ulcer Healing

In brief

Patients with EV bleeding often suffered from hematemesis, Tarry stool, and blood loss. Standard treatment for bleeding esophageal varices includes hemodynamic stabilization, pharmacological control, and endoscopic intervention. For endoscopic intervention, endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) is the first-line therapy with 95% initial hemostasis success rate. However, after variceal ligation, esophageal ulcers form 3 days later. These ulcers expose underlying vessels in friable esophageal mucosa, exacerbated by portal hypertension and coagulopathy in cirrhosis patients. Bleeding peaks around day 5-10 when bands detach. Among these patients, 7-9% of patients experience recurrent bleeding as a result. Recurrent bleeding from esophageal ulcers carries an extremely high mortality rate, particularly in patients with advanced stage cirrhosis. Therefore, how to promote esophageal ulcer healing and prevent ulcer rebleeding is an important clinical issue. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the primary drugs for preventing and treating gastric ulcers, but clinical evidence for their role in preventing post-ligation esophageal ulcers is insufficient. Sucralfate, a complex of aluminum hydroxide and sucrose octa sulfate, can bind to the wound base. This protective barrier can prevent the wound from further environmental injury. Sucralfate has been widely used for wounds and ulcer treatment, e.g., skin wounds, oral ulcers, and peptic ulcers. Our recent clinical trial also proved topical sucralfate can prevent postpolypectomy bleeding. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether the topical administration of sucralfate after standard endoscopic hemostasis can promote the esophageal ulcer healing and reduce the rebleeding event.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07679191

Run by

National Cheng-Kung University Hospital

People needed

60

Starts

2026-07-01

Expected to finish

2027-12-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-06

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• cirrhotic patients aged ≥ 18 years who accept endoscopy for esophageal variceal bleeding

You may not qualify if…

• no need of endoscopic hemostasis
• allergy to sucralfate
• other etiology of bleeding than EV bleeding

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