Final answer:
Blood that has been digested by stomach acids manifests as coffee-ground emesis due to the action of stomach acids on hemoglobin. This dark appearance is distinct from fresh bleeding, which would not show the coffee-ground effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about the appearance of blood after it has been digested by stomach acids. When blood is exposed to the acidic environment of the stomach, the hemoglobin in the blood is broken down and can turn into a dark brown or black substance.
This digested blood, when vomited, resembles coffee-ground emesis. The dark color is due to the action of stomach acids on the iron contained in the hemoglobin, converting it to a form that appears as dark coffee grounds when ejected from the body.
Other choices, such as gray-colored stool, can be associated with liver issues leading to a lack of bile pigments. Bright red vomitus would indicate active bleeding that has not been acted upon by stomach acids, and hematochezia refers to red, fresh blood in the stool, usually from the lower gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, the correct answer to the question is C. coffee-ground emesis.