Gastroenterology and hepatology
Acute pancreatitis
Diagnosis, revised Atlanta severity, moderate goal-directed fluids, early feeding, when to use ERCP and antibiotics, necrosis management and preventing recurrence.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Acute inflammation of the pancreas. About 80% of cases are mild and settle in days. About 20% develop necrosis or organ failure, and mortality in persistent organ failure is about 30 to 50%.
- Gallstones and alcohol cause about 70 to 80% of cases in Australia.
- Care in the first 72 hours is supportive: moderate fluids, analgesia, early oral feeding, and treating cholangitis if present.
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Sources
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Gastrointestinal (eTG complete), acute pancreatitisAU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited
- International Association of Pancreatology revised guidelines on acute pancreatitis 2025. Pancreatology 2025International Association of Pancreatology, 2025
- Tenner S, Vege SS, Sheth SG et al. American College of Gastroenterology Guidelines: Management of Acute Pancreatitis. Am J Gastroenterol 2024American College of Gastroenterology, 2024
- Banks PA et al. Classification of acute pancreatitis 2012: revision of the Atlanta classification and definitions by international consensus. Gut 2013;62:102-11Acute Pancreatitis Classification Working Group (Gut), 2012
- de-Madaria E et al. Aggressive or moderate fluid resuscitation in acute pancreatitis (WATERFALL). N Engl J Med 2022;387:989-1000New England Journal of Medicine, 2022
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
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