After a short examination of data in the literature, the paper presents a retrospective analysis of 340 patients who underwent endoscopic examination for upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Among them, 123 underwent emergency and 112 elective endoscopy. A source of active or recent bleeding was identified in 87.5% of the cases. Emergency endoscopy showed a clearcut diagnostic superiority over elective endoscopy, and endoscopy as a whole was more efficient than conventional radiology. The most commonly observed bleeding lesions were found in the duodenum and stomach followed by oesophageal varices. The value of an early endoscopic approach to the diagnosis and treatment of upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage is confirmed.