BACKGROUND: @entity656 ( @entity656 ) is a serious disease with a frustrating mortality rate, but with a very good quality of life reported among survivors, that justifies an optimised allocation of therapy intensity. PURPOSE: To audit monitoring and treatment of severe @entity656 in our Intensive Care Department based upon Atlanta severity classification and following recommendations. METHODS: Retrospective study of all @entity656 admitted to our ICU between 1st January, 1993 and 31st December, 1999 in a tertiary University Hospital in Northern Portugal. RESULTS: Our sample (n = 44) represents less than 1% of all @entity1 observed in our ICU and approximately 3% of all @entity1 with @entity656 admitted to our Hospital between 1993 and 1999. All cases fulfilled at least one Atlanta criteria of severe @entity656 . Mean length of stay was 11.6 days. Diagnosis of @entity656 was established in less than 48 hours in 86% of cases: amylasemia and lypasemia were determined in 84 and 7%, respectively and 64% of cases were submitted to ultrasonography. The median time between diagnosis and ICU admission was 2 days. @entity1608 was responsible for 38% of cases and @entity1068 for 14%: Thirty-six per cent were considered idiopathic (in none was ERCP performed). Concerning local complications, @entity39 was diagnosed in 56% and @entity9007 or @entity733 in 23%. Infection was diagnosed by US/CT guided punction or by the presence of gas in CT (performed in 83% during the first ten days of disease) in 18% of the cases. 68% were put on parenteral nutrition (beginning on the 2nd day after admission to ICU in 50% of @entity1 ); and 51% had enteric feeding (median day of start = 8.5 days). Antibiotics were prescribed in 91%. Forty-five per cent of @entity1 were submitted to surgery (median day of surgery was 6 days). No statistically significant differences were found concerning local or systemic complications according to different therapies. Mortality rate in our ICU was 36%, mostly during first and second weeks. @entity1 admitted to ICU later than the second day after diagnosis seem to die earlier (P < 0.005). Outcome ( @entity204 ) was statistically related with @entity881 criteria, namely Atlanta criteria ( @entity177 ), SOFA and proportion of days with @entity881 . CONCLUSIONS: In our Institution (a tertiary hospital) @entity656 diagnosis is quickly made, @entity149 are clearly diagnosed and monitored, but at least 50% of @entity1 waited for 2 days until ICU admission, representing those who die earlier.

XXXX with severe acute pancreatitis should be more often treated in an Intensive Care Department.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'patient'] @entity656 :: ('MESH:D019283', 'Disease') :: ['Acute pancreatitis', 'AP'] @entity39 :: ('MESH:D009336', 'Disease') :: ['necrosis'] @entity149 :: ('MESH:D002493', 'Disease') :: ['local and systemic complications'] @entity1608 :: ('MESH:D002137', 'Disease') :: ['Biliary calculus'] @entity881 :: ('MESH:D009102', 'Disease') :: ['organ dysfunction'] @entity177 :: ('MESH:D051437', 'Disease') :: ['renal failure'] @entity733 :: ('MESH:D000038', 'Disease') :: ['abscesses'] @entity9007 :: ('MESH:D010192', 'Disease') :: ['pseudocysts'] @entity204 :: ('MESH:D003643', 'Disease') :: ['death'] @entity1068 :: ('MESH:D000431', 'Chemical') :: ['ethanol']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['Patients']
