Tune into this episode to learn about Acute Pancreatitis, a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Did you know it's a condition that can range from mild to life-threatening? We'll explore how it's classified into mild, moderately severe, and severe forms based on complications and organ dysfunction. While 80% of cases are mild and most patients recover within 3-7 days with conservative treatment, we'll also discuss that mortality is around 7-10%, primarily due to organ failure or sepsis. Discover the most common causes: Gallstones and Alcohol account for over 50% of cases. We'll also touch upon other potential causes using the GET SMASHED mnemonic, including trauma, steroids, mumps, autoimmune factors, scorpion stings, hyperlipidaemia, hypercalcaemia, ERCP, and certain drugs. Learn about the fascinating pathophysiology, which involves the premature activation of pancreatic enzymes within the pancreas, leading to autodigestion and inflammation. This can cause significant fluid shifts and potentially lead to shock and multi-organ dysfunction. We'll cover the clinical presentation, including the hallmark symptom of sudden, severe epigastric pain, often radiating to the back, alongside nausea and vomiting, abdominal tenderness, and even signs like Cullen's sign (umbilical discoloration) and Grey Turner's sign (flank discoloration) in more severe cases. Find out how Acute Pancreatitis is diagnosed through elevated serum amylase or lipase (at least 3 times the normal limit) and imaging like ultrasound and CT scans. We'll also touch upon severity assessment using criteria like Glasgow, APACHE II, and Ranson scores. Finally, we'll discuss the management strategies, from essential non-pharmacological interventions like IV fluids, oxygen support, and monitoring, to pharmacological approaches for pain relief and the use of IV antibiotics for infected necrosis. We'll also explain the role of surgical interventions like early ERCP in gallstone pancreatitis and cholecystectomy. Understand the potential early complications such as ARDS, acute kidney injury, and necrotising pancreatitis, and late complications including pancreatic pseudocyst, chronic pancreatitis, and diabetes mellitus. Tune in to get a comprehensive overview of this important medical condition directly from our source material!
