The treatment that you receive for acute pancreatitis will depend on whether you have the mild form of the condition, which causes no complications, or the serious form, which can cause serious complications.
Mild acute pancreatitis
The main goal in treating mild acute pancreatitis is to support the functions of the body while the pancreas has the time to recover.
This support takes three main forms:
- Pain relief. Even mild acute pancreatitis can cause moderate to severe pain, so strong painkillers can be used to treat your symptoms. You may also be given medication to help control symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
- Nutrition. In order to rest your pancreas as much as possible, it is unlikely that you will be able to eat normally. Instead, nutrients can be provided by way of feeding tubes.
- Intravenous (IV) fluids. Because your body can become dehydrated during an episode of acute pancreatitis, fluids will be provided through a tube that is connected to one your veins.
Most people who have mild acute pancreatitis are well enough to leave hospital within five to seven days.
Severe acute pancreatitis
In cases of severe acute pancreatitis, the inflammation of the tissue of the pancreas is so severe that some of the pancreas dies (necrosis).
Tissue necrosis is potentially very dangerous. This is because the dead tissue provides an ideal breeding ground for a severe bacterial infection, which can spread into the blood (sepsis) and the rest of the body, causing multiple organ failure.
The other main danger with severe pancreatitis is that the body can lose a massive amount of fluid, which, in turn, can lead to a reduction of the volume of blood in your body (hypovolemic shock).
Hypovolemic shock can be life-threatening because your body can become quickly starved of the oxygen-rich blood it needs to survive.
To deal with both of these threats, you will be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Injections of antibiotics may be used to prevent any dead tissue from becoming infected.
Intravenous fluids will be used to restore any lost fluids and to prevent you going into hypovolemic shock.
Ventilation equipment may be used to assist you with your breathing and feeding tubes may be used to provide your body with nutrients. Surgery may be required to remove any dead tissue from your pancreas.
You will probably have to stay in the ICU until your treatment team has confirmed that the risk of widespread infection, organ failure and hypovolemic shock has passed. This could take up to 14 days but it may be longer if your acute pancreatitis is particularly severe.
Treating underlying causes
Once acute pancreatitis has passed, it is important that any underlying causes are treated so that you don't have any further episodes of the condition.
If gallstones are responsible for your condition, you will probably be referred for surgery to remove them once your pancreas has recovered. You may also be advised to eat a low-fat diet because this will reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood, and reduce the risk of further gallstones developing.
See the A-Z topic on gallstones for more information about treatment.
If alcohol misuse is responsible for your condition, you will probably be referred to a treatment programme for alcohol misuse. See the A-Z topic on alcohol misuse for more information about how it can be treated.
