VOLUME THERAPY IN ACUTE PANCREATITIS

Abstract

Fundamental management is required soon after a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis has been made and includes monitoring of the conscious state, the respiratory and cardiovascular system, the urinary output, adequate fluid replacement and pain control, blood purification therapy and nutritional support. An adequate dose of fluid replacement is essential to stabilize cardiovascular dynamics and the dose should be adjusted while assessing circulatory dynamics constantly. Current clinical practice guidelines recommend aggressive fluid resuscitation despite limited prospective data. Fluid therapy remains the mainstay of early management of patients with acute pancreatitis and severe acute pancreatitis. High-level evidence is lacking to guide protocols for fluid resuscitation in patients presenting with acute pancreatitis. In those patients with severe acute pancreatitis, the available evidence indicates that controlled fluid resuscitation with crystalloids and colloids offers the best outcome. Hematocrit remains a useful marker to guide fluid resuscitation in acute pancreatitis. However, the timing and ideal “cut-off” level needs to be determined.

Keywords

• acute pancreatitis
• guidelines
• resuscitation