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Acute pancreatitis: practical considerations in nutrition support
Leah Gramlich1, And Kendall Taft
1Division of Gastroenterology, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Room 323 Community Services Center, 10240 Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5H 3V9, Canada. leah.gramlich@ualberta.ca
Current Gastroenterology Reports
|September 22, 2007
Summary
Severe acute pancreatitis requires nutritional support to prevent malnutrition. Enteral nutrition is beneficial, potentially reducing systemic inflammation and disease severity in these critical patients.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Clinical Nutrition
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Acute pancreatitis is characterized by abdominal pain and elevated serum enzymes.
- Mild cases are self-limiting, but severe forms pose a high risk of malnutrition.
- Enteral nutrition is increasingly recognized for its benefits in managing severe acute pancreatitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review practical feeding strategies for patients with severe acute pancreatitis.
- To discuss the role of enteral nutrition in managing severe acute pancreatitis.
- To explore considerations for optimizing nutritional support in severe acute pancreatitis.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on nutritional management in severe acute pancreatitis.
- Discussion of gastric versus post-pyloric feeding approaches.
- Analysis of enteral product selection and parenteral nutrition optimization.
Main Results:
- Enteral nutrition offers benefits beyond basic nutrition, potentially mitigating systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
- Optimal feeding strategies are crucial for patients with moderate to severe pancreatic injury.
- Parenteral nutrition plays a role when enteral feeding is not feasible or sufficient.
Conclusions:
- Enteral nutrition is a valuable adjunct in managing severe acute pancreatitis.
- Careful consideration of feeding route, product, and parenteral nutrition is essential.
- Nutritional support can modify the disease course and improve outcomes in severe acute pancreatitis.
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