Pancreatitis
What we will do
- Gather Historical Data: Pancreatitis can be acute (sudden onset, an emergency, but can resolve in days) or chronic (onset is more gradual and symptoms are less severe but take much longer to resolve). It is important to determine if the patient recently ingested a high fat food, or other food they are not used to. If the patient ate something that is not food (foreign material), this can cause pancreatitis that requires surgery to remove the material. Not every patient with pancreatitis has the same symptoms. Most do not want to eat and are vomiting, ½ of patients with severe pancreatitis have abdominal pain and 1/3 of them have diarrhea.
- Gather Current Data: We perform a thorough physical examination which can at times immediately alert us to dehydration, discomfort, yellowing of skin (icterus) and lethargy. Baseline bloodwork and a pancreatitis test are necessary so we have something to compare to as symptoms change. Often, the baseline bloodwork is abnormal. Some blood values can change in hours and at times need to be closely monitored. Bloodwork is run on site and can help determine the severity of the pancreatitis. At times, liver, kidney, electrolytes hematocrit and protein values are affected. Some patients have a concurrent illness, such as diabetes. Radiographs (X-rays) Are also necessary because the cause of the vomiting could be a mechanical obstruction (usually from eating an object that is not digestible). At times, the radiographs reveal aspiration pneumonia, meaning the patient aspirated some of the vomit into the lungs. Abdominal ultrasound is required for more complex cases.
- Treatment: Pancreatitis can be very serious. Severe cases are life threatening. Patients that are hospitalized receive intravenous fluids, electrolytes medication for nausea and pain medication. We also have a new medication that has been conditionally approved by the FDA to treat pancreatitis over three days while the patient is hospitalized.