Within 11 years 279 operations for acute bleeding from gastroduodenal ulcers were performed at the surgical University Clinic in Würzburg. Of the 279 patients, 140 had to be operated on immediately because of acute severe bleeding. Of the 158 bleeding duodenal ulcers, 104 had a selective proximal vagotomy (SPV), 29 had gastric resection, and in 25 the ulcer was simply closed. The overall mortality after SPV was 8.6%, 62% after gastric resection, and 40% after simple suture ligation. Recurrent bleeding occurred in 8.7% after SPV, 10.3% after gastric resection, and in 24% after suture ligation. Of the 89 bleeding gastric ulcers, 25 had a selective proximal vagotomy, 30 a gastric resection, and 34 excision of the ulcer. The overall mortality after SPV was 16%; after gastric resection it was 23.3% and 41.2% after ulcer excision. Recurrent bleeding was observed in 8% after SPV, in 10% after gastric resection and in 11.7% after ulcer excision.