ABSTRACT
A 39-year-old woman presented to hospital complaining of several episodes of vomiting bright red blood. The haematemesis had begun approximately 24 hours earlier, and she described vomiting three to four times, producing a cupful of blood on each occasion. She complained of a stabbing abdominal pain and repeatedly requested analgesia during history taking. She said the abdominal pain had developed suddenly, 1 day earlier, and was 10/10 in severity. She denied any change in bowel habit and had not noticed any melaena or fresh rectal bleeding. She had felt well until this episode and had no similar problems in the past. She had no past medical history and took no regular medications. She worked as a bank cashier and lived alone. She denied smoking and said she did not ever drink alcohol.
