gastrointestinal disorders
Acute Pancreatitis
Key Points
There are many causes of acute pancreatitis, but the most common are gallstones and alcohol intake. Inflammation is confined to the pancreas in mild cases, but, with increasing severity, a severe systemic inflammatory response may develop, resulting in shock and/or organ failure. Once pancreatitis is diagnosed, assess risk using clinical criteria and scoring systems to triage appropriate patients to more intensive care and aggressive therapy and to help estimate prognosis. Treatment includes IV fluid resuscitation, pain control, and nutritional support. Complications, including pseudocyst and infected pancreatic necrosis, need to be identified and treated appropriately (eg, drainage of pseudocyst, necrosectomy). 