This document discusses acute pancreatitis, including its causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. It notes that acute pancreatitis results in sudden upper abdominal pain due to pancreatic inflammation. Patients often present to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. It requires hospital admission for medical management including fluid resuscitation, nutritional support, and pain management. Causes include gallstones, alcohol abuse, medications, infections, and trauma. Diagnosis involves elevated serum amylase and lipase levels as well as imaging tests like abdominal CT or MRI. Treatment focuses on fluid replacement, nutritional support, treating any infections, and pain control.
2. Sudden onset of unrelenting upper
abdominal pain resulting from inflammation
of the pancreas
Patients commonly present to ER due to
severe abdominal pain
Requires admission to the hospital for
medical management
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6. Upper abdominal pain rapidly increasing in
severity, often within 60 minutes
Epigastric pain
Right-sided pain
Diffuse abdominal pain with radiation to back
Pain rarely only in left upper quadrant
Restless
Prefer to sit and lean
N/V
Fever
Tachycardia
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7. Decreased or absent bowel sounds
Abdominal tenderness
Guarding
Palpable mass in epigastric area
Biliary colic
Jaundice if there’s obstruction of the bile
duct
Cullen’s sign
Grey Turner’s Sign
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9. Patient’s history
Physical examination
Diagnostic findings
◦ Serum amylase levels greater than three times
the upper limit
◦ Serum amylase levels may be normal in
patients with pancreatitis related to alcohol
abuse or hypertriglyceridemia
◦ Levels greater than five times the top normal
value should be expected in patients with renal
failure because amylase is cleared by the
kidneys
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10. Plain abdominal x-rays for visualizing
gallstones or a gas-filled transverse colon
ending at the area of pancreatic inflammation
◦ colon cut-off sign
Abdominal ultrasound
◦ Cholelithiasis, biliary sludge, bile duct
dilation, and pseudocysts
CT of abdomen
MRCP (magnetic resonance
cholangiopancreatography)
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11. The severity of acute pancreatitis is determined by the
existence of certain criteria, called Ranson’s criteria
On admission
◦ Patient older than 55
◦ WBC > 16,000
◦ Serum glucose >200
◦ Serum lactate dehydrogenase >350
◦ Aspartate aminotransferase > 250
During initial 48 hours after admission
◦ 10% decrease in Hct
◦ BUN increase > 5
◦ Serum calcium < 8
◦ Base deficit > 4
◦ PaO2 < 60
◦ Estimated fluid sequestration > 6 liters
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12. Fluid Management
Nutritional support
◦ Rest gut
◦ TPN
Pain management
Supporting other organ systems
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13. IV replacement of fluids,
proteins, and electrolytes
Fluid volume replacement and
blood transfusions
Withholding food and fluids to
rest the pancreas
NG tube suctioning
Peritoneal lavage
Surgical drainage
Laparotomy to remove
obstruction
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14. General approach:
Initial treatment usually involves withholding
foods or liquids .
Nasogastric aspiration
Aggressive fluid resucitation
Intravenous colloids
Drotrecogin alfa
Insulin
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15. Nonpharmacologic therapy:
Nutritional therapy.
Pharmacologic therapy:
Relief of abdominal pain
Analgesics:-pethidine,morphine
Prevention of infection
Antibiotics:-Imipenem+cilastatin,
Quinolones+metronidazole
Anti emetics:-Ondansetron
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17. It is characterised by permanent damage to
pancreatic structure and function because of
progressive inflammation and long standing
pancreatic injury
Permanent destruction of pancreatic tissue
usually leads to exocrine and endocrine
insufficiency.
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21. Pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis is not well
defined. Few hypothesis have been proposed to
account for development of chronic pancreatitis
These include:
Ductal obstruction : chronic alcohol ingestion causes
changes in pancreatic fluid that creates intraductal
protein plugs that blocks small ductules.
This results in progressive structural damage in ducts
and acinar tissue.
Calcium complexes with protein plugs ,eventually
resulting in injury and pancreatic tissue destruction
Toxic metabolic: toxins ,alcohol and its metabolites
has direct effect on acinar necrosis .
Leads to accumulation of lipids in acinar cells .
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22. Abdominal pain is related in part to increased
intraductal pressure secondary to continued
pancreatic secretion,pancreatic inflammation,
abnormalities of pancreatic nerves
Malabsorption of protein and fat occurs when
the capacity for enzyme secretion is reduced
by 90%.
Lipase secretion decreases more rapidly than
proteolytic enzymes.
Decreased bicarbonate leads to duodenal pH
of less than 4.
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23. Abdominal pain
◦ Located in the same areas as in acute pancreatitis
Abdominal tenderness
Malabsorption with weight loss
Constipation
Mild jaundice with dark urine
Steatorrhea
Frothy urine/stool
Diabetes mellitus
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25. Nonpharmacologic therapy:-
Abstinence from alcohol is the most
important factor in preventing abdominal
pain in the early stages of alcoholic CP.
Small and frequent meals (six meals per day)
and a diet restricted in fat (50 to 75 g/day)
are recommended to minimize postprandial
pancreatic secretion and pain
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26. Treatment of chronic pain:
Analgesics
Acetaminophen
NSAIDS
Tramadol
Codeine
TREATMENT OF MALABSORPTION AND STEATORRHEA
Pancreatic enzyme supplements –Amylase, lipase
Antisecretory drugs –Somatostatin, octreotide
GIT- proton pump inhibitor
H2 receptor antagonist
SURGERY
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27. Pharmacotherapy, A Pathophysiologic
approach by J.T.Dipiro 7 th edition,
page.no:659-673
Ross and wilson anatomy and physiology
http://gastro.ucsd.edu/Chronic%20Pancreatitis
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-
disorders/digestive-diseases-pancreatitis
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