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Acute Pancreatitis

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Acute Care Surgery Handbook

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Abstract

Acute pancreatitis is a common abdominal emergency comprising of about 3–4 % of the patients admitted for acute abdominal pain. The annual incidence of acute pancreatitis varies from country to country between 7 and 102 episodes/100,000 population, depending on the prevalence of gallstone disease and the level alcohol consumption. The spectrum of acute pancreatitis ranges from a self-limiting mild form to severe and sometimes life-threatening condition. About 80 % of the patients have the edematous or mild form of the disease that usually resolves with symptomatic treatment in a few days. The severe form, necrotizing or hemorrhagic pancreatitis, is a life-threatening condition with hospital mortality rates of 10–20 % even in the most experiences centers. The mortality rate in severe acute pancreatitis has decreased considerably over the years, thanks to improved understanding of the pathophysiology, recognition of some of its early complications, effective monitoring and treatment of organ dysfunctions, and timely management of infectious complications. The management of severe acute pancreatitis is resource-intensive and is associated with lengthy hospital and ICU stays, sometimes multiple operative and endoscopic interventions, and considerable costs. Early recognition of the severe form of the disease with prompt admission to the ICU is one of the cornerstones of management. Once identified, the management of severe acute pancreatitis follows the same principles – with some additional procedures for gallstone-induced pancreatitis – regardless of the etiology.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professor, Chief of Emergency Surgery, Abdominal Center, Helsinki University Hospital Meilahti, Haartmaninkatu 4, 340, 00029HUS, Helsinki, Finland

    Ari Leppäniemi MD, PhD

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  1. Ari Leppäniemi MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Ari Leppäniemi MD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Emergency and Trauma Surgery Service, C.A. Pizzardi Maggiore Hospital AUSL Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Salomone Di Saverio

  2. Surgery and Emergency, Maggiore Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy

    Fausto Catena

  3. General, Emergency and Trauma Surgery, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy

    Luca Ansaloni

  4. General, Emergency and Trauma Surgery, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, Italy

    Federico Coccolini

  5. Trauma, Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    George Velmahos

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Leppäniemi, A. (2016). Acute Pancreatitis. In: Di Saverio, S., Catena, F., Ansaloni, L., Coccolini, F., Velmahos, G. (eds) Acute Care Surgery Handbook. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15362-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15362-9_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15361-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15362-9

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