Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a common diagnosis seen in intensive care units worldwide. The incidence of pancreatitis has increased over the last decade. It ranks third amongst the gastrointestinal diseases resulting in hospital admissions. The destructive complications of pancreatitis make it a life-threatening disease. If pancreatitis progresses to the severe form the mortality rate significantly increase from one percent to upwards of thirty percent. Pancreatitis is associated with high rates of morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospital admissions(Goozen, Besselink, Santroort, & Bollen, 2013). An increased understanding of the pathophysiology of pancreatitis has changed the approach to treatment from early surgical treatment to a more conservation and all encompassing approach utilizing antibiotic therapy, multidisciplinary team involvement, early nutrition, and other forms of supportive care. A majority of the supportive care is provided directly by the bedside nurse(Sahora, Jakesz, & Gotzinger, 2009). This topic was chosen to increase nurses\u27 knowledge of the pathophysiology of pancreatitis, the presentation of the disease symptoms, the treatment, and the implications that the care provided can have on patient outcomes