Coffee ground vomiting
Encyclopedia
Coffee ground vomitus refers to a particular appearance of vomit
. Blood contains iron within heme
molecules in red blood cells. When this iron has been exposed to gastric acid
for some time, it becomes oxidized. This reaction causes the vomitus to look like ground coffee
. Coffee-ground vomitus is a classic sign of upper gastro-intestinal bleeding. A peptic ulcer
, for example, may bleed into the stomach and produce coffee-ground vomitus. When bright red blood is vomited, this is termed hematemesis
. Hematemesis, in contrast to coffee ground vomitus, suggests that upper gastrointestinal bleeding is more acute or more severe, or originates more proximally than the stomach: for example, in the esophagus due to a Mallory-Weiss tear.
Oxidized blood from an upper gastrointestinal bleed can also be excreted in stool. It produces tarry, blackened stools known as melaena.
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
. Blood contains iron within heme
Heme
A heme or haem is a prosthetic group that consists of an iron atom contained in the center of a large heterocyclic organic ring called a porphyrin. Not all porphyrins contain iron, but a substantial fraction of porphyrin-containing metalloproteins have heme as their prosthetic group; these are...
molecules in red blood cells. When this iron has been exposed to gastric acid
Gastric acid
Gastric acid is a digestive fluid, formed in the stomach. It has a pH of 1 to 2 and is composed of hydrochloric acid , and large quantities of potassium chloride and sodium chloride...
for some time, it becomes oxidized. This reaction causes the vomitus to look like ground coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
. Coffee-ground vomitus is a classic sign of upper gastro-intestinal bleeding. A peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
, for example, may bleed into the stomach and produce coffee-ground vomitus. When bright red blood is vomited, this is termed hematemesis
Hematemesis
Hematemesis or haematemesis is the vomiting of blood. The source is generally the upper gastrointestinal tract. Patients can easily confuse it with hemoptysis , although the latter is more common.-Signs:...
. Hematemesis, in contrast to coffee ground vomitus, suggests that upper gastrointestinal bleeding is more acute or more severe, or originates more proximally than the stomach: for example, in the esophagus due to a Mallory-Weiss tear.
Oxidized blood from an upper gastrointestinal bleed can also be excreted in stool. It produces tarry, blackened stools known as melaena.