Abstract:Objective Erythromycin infusion before endoscopy in upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) could help remove residual blood and clots, provide a clearer view, but controversy still surrounded its validity and benefit, in order to objective evaluation,we performed a Meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of erythromycin infusion before endoscopy in acute UGIB.Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and CNKI databases from inception to Jan. 2022 to obtain randomized controlled trials (RCT) of erythromycin before endoscopy in UGIB patients to no erythromycin or placebo. Pooled estimates of satisfactory stomach visualization, need for second endoscopy, endoscopic duration, length of hospital stay and units of blood transfused using odds ratio (OR^) or mean difference (MD) were calculated. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed.Results 12 RCT met the inclusion criteria, with a total number of 914 participants (448 in the erythromycin group and 466 in the control group). Erythromycin infusion before endoscopy in UGIB demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in visualization of the gastric mucosa (OR^ = 4.82, P < 0.05) compared with no erythromycin. In addition, erythromycin infusion before endoscopy resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the need for a second endoscopy (OR^ = 0.42, P < 0.05), units of blood transfused (MD = -0.48, P < 0.05), and the duration of hospital stay (MD = -1.41, P < 0.05). In addition, there was a trend to shorten the endoscopic duration, but the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusion Erythromycin infusion before endoscopy in patients with UGIB can significantly improve visualization, reduce the amount of secondary endoscopy and blood transfusion, shorten the length of hospital stay.