Context
According to a 2014 study1, rectal bleeding accounts for 0.3% of presentations to the emergency department.
The University Hospital of Wales performed a retrospective case note review2 of children presenting to the emergency department over 2 years and found lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) made up 0.14% of all presentations to paediatric ED, with a median age at presentation of 5 years and an even spread between sexes. Of those presenting with LGIB, 24% required admission and only 5% required urgent intervention. The authors concluded that a high index of suspicion remains necessary to identify infrequent but serious pathology.