Clinical QuickieLiver/GI
Pancreatitis
Diagnose the syndrome, assess severity, then identify the cause.
Recognize the classic syndrome
Acute epigastric pain often radiates to the back and is paired with compatible enzyme elevation and/or imaging.
Severity is not the lipase level
Hemodynamics, oxygenation, renal function, systemic inflammatory response, organ failure, and complications matter more than how high the enzyme rises.
Early management is supportive
Fluid strategy, analgesia, antiemetics, early nutrition when tolerated, and monitoring are individualized to the patient's volume and cardiopulmonary status.
Etiology changes the next step
Biliary disease, alcohol, triglycerides, medications, and procedural causes require different follow-up and recurrence prevention.
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