Current Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis in Korea: A Nationwide Survey
Eui Joo Kim,
Sang Hyub Lee,
Min Kyu Jung,
Dong Kee Jang,
Jung Hyun Jo,
Jae Min Lee,
Jung Wan Choe,
Sung Yong Han,
Young Hoon Choi,
Seong-Hun Kim,
Jin Myung Park,
Kyu-Hyun Paik
Affiliations
Eui Joo Kim
Department of Internal Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea
Sang Hyub Lee
Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Min Kyu Jung
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea
Dong Kee Jang
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Jung Hyun Jo
Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Jae Min Lee
Department of Internal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Changwon, Korea
Jung Wan Choe
Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Ansan, Korea
Sung Yong Han
Department of Internal Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital and Pusan National University School of Medicine Busan, Korea
Young Hoon Choi
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
Seong-Hun Kim
Department of Internal Medicine, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University-Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Korea
Jin Myung Park
Department of Internal Medicine, Kangwon National University Hospital, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea
Kyu-Hyun Paik
Department of Internal Medicine, Daejeon St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon, Korea
Background/Aims: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a leading cause of emergency hospitalization. We present the current diagnostic and therapeutic status of AP as revealed by analysis of a large multicenter dataset. Methods: The medical records of patients diagnosed with AP between 2018 and 2019 in 12 tertiary medical centers in Korea were retrospectively reviewed. Results: In total, 676 patients were included, of whom 388 (57.4%) were male, and the mean age of all patients was 58.6 years. There were 355 (52.5%), 301 (44.5%), and 20 (3.0%) patients with mild, moderate, and severe AP, respectively, as assessed by the revised Atlanta classification. The most common etiologies of AP were biliary issues (41.6%) and alcohol consumption (24.6%), followed by hypertriglyceridemia (6.8%). The etiology was not identified in 111 (16.4%) patients at the time of initial admission. The overall mortality rate was 3.3%, increasing up to 45.0% among patients with severe AP. Notably, 70.0% (14/20) of patients with severe AP and 81.5% (154/189) of patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome had received <4 L per day during the initial 24 hours of admission. Only 23.8% (67/281) of acute biliary pancreatitis patients underwent cholecystectomy during their initial admission. In total, 17.8% of patients experienced recurrent attacks during follow-up. However, none of the patients with acute biliary pancreatitis experienced recurrent attacks if they had undergone cholecystectomy during their initial admission. Conclusions: This study provides insights into the current status of AP in Korea, including its etiology, severity, and management. Results reveal disparities between clinical guidelines and their practical implementation for AP treatment.
