Free BCEN Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Question

Coffee-ground vomitus is a term used to describe vomitus that looks similar to wet coffee grounds. This is typically indicative of bleeding that has slowed or stopped, allowing the blood to be partially digested by stomach acids, which suggests the bleeding source is in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Since the blood in the vomitus has come into prolonged contact with stomach acid, it points toward the upper gastrointestinal tract, specifically the stomach or esophagus, rather than the lower tract.