ABSTRACT
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the most frequent gastrointestinal cause of hospital admissions in the United States, affecting 13 to 45/100,000 individuals annually. It is distributed equally between males and females; however, the gender demographic varies significantly with etiology—alcoholism being the most common risk factor in males and gallstones in females. AP is an inflammatory pathology mediated by autodigestion of the pancreas due to abnormal activation of pancreatic enzymes—most notably trypsinogen. AP into two distinct subtypes: interstitial edematous pancreatitis and necrotizing pancreatitis. Regardless of the severity of disease, critical to the management of AP is the assessment of hemodynamic status and early intravenous fluid resuscitation with crystalloids to account for fluid losses due to third spacing. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with stent placement is useful in cases of biliary pancreatitis with concomitant cholangitis.
