Severe acute pancreatitis: surgical management in a third-level hospital

Severe acute pancreatitis has a reported mortality of 10-30% in specialized hospitals, representing 20% of patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Indications for surgery are infected necrosis, necrosis persistent, fulminant pancreatitis or acute pancreatitis complications such as bleeding or intestinal perforation.

We studied patients diagnosed with pancreatitis from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2007.

We analyzed records of 82 patients, 63.4% were male and the most common etiology of pancreatitis was biliary in 63.4% of patients. Morbidity was 62.19%; 35.36% had pulmonary complications. In 15.85% of patients there was enterocutaneous fistula and 10.9% had bleeding. Mortality was 20.73%. In our hospital, all patients with severe acute pancreatitis are managed in the intensive care unit. Parenteral nutrition is only indicated in patients intolerant to oral feeding or with inability to place a nasojejunal tube. Use of antibiotics is based on carbapenem, and surgical indications are infected pancreatic necrosis, persistent sterile pancreatic necrosis, fulminant acute pancreatitis and abdominal hypertension, and complications such as intestinal perforation and bleeding.

It is recommended that patients with severe acute pancreatitis are managed by a multidisciplinary team in an intensive care unit. The role of parenteral nutrition and antibiotics should be individualized.