Comparison of Endoscopic Hemostasis for Endoscopic Sphincterotomy Bleeding between a Novel Self-Assembling Peptide and Conventional Technique

Introduction: Recently, a novel self-assembling peptide hemostatic gel has become available in Japan. However, the safety and efficacy of this novel self-assembling peptide hemostatic gel remain unclear for bleeding after EST. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel self-assembling peptide hemostatic gel for bleeding after EST, and to perform a comparison to a conventional endoscopic hemostasis technique. Method: This retrospective study was carried out between January 2019 and October 2022. Patients who developed bleeding associated with EST were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups based on the hemostasis technique used: a conventional hemostasis technique (Group A) or a novel self-assembling peptide hemostatic gel hemostasis technique (Group B). Result: A total of 62 patients (Group A, n = 36; Group B, n = 26) were included. Endoscopic hemostasis was initially obtained in 72.2% (26/32) of patients in Group A and in 88.4% (23/26) of patients in Group B, which was not significantly different (p = 0.1320). However, the procedure time was significantly shorter in Group B (mean, 9.38 min) compared with Group A (mean, 15.4 min) (p = 0.0103). There were no significant differences in the severity of bleeding between the two groups (p = 0.4530). Post-EST bleeding was observed in six patients (Group A, n = 4; Group B, n = 2). Adverse events were more frequently observed in Group A (n = 12) than in Group B (n = 1) (p = 0.0457). Conclusions: PuraStat application for EST bleeding might be safe and effective, and is comparable to the conventional endoscopic hemostasis technique, although further prospective randomized trials are needed.