Predictors and outcomes of acute pancreatitis in critically ill patients presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary referral centre in Australia

• Published in: Emergency medicine Australasia 2017-04, Vol.29 (2), p.184-191
• Main Authors: Sundararajan, Krishnaswamy, Schoeman, Tom, Hughes, Lara, Edwards, Suzanne, Reddi, Benjamin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alcoholism - complications; APACHE II score; Australia - epidemiology; BISAP score; Critical Illness - epidemiology; Critical Illness - mortality; emergency department; Emergency Service, Hospital - organization & administration; Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data; Female; Gallstones - complications; Humans; Injury Severity Score; intensive care unit; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Pancreatitis - etiology; Pancreatitis - mortality; Patient Outcome Assessment; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; severe acute pancreatitis; Tertiary Care Centers - organization & administration; Tertiary Care Centers - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 1742-6731; 1742-6723
• DOI: 10.1111/1742-6723.12737

Objective To provide a current review of the clinical characteristics, predictors and outcomes in critically ill patients presenting to the ED with acute pancreatitis and subsequently admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary referral centre in Australia. Methods A retrospective single‐centre study of adult patients admitted with pancreatitis. Severe acute pancreatitis defined by Bedside Index of Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) score ≥2. Results Eighty‐seven patients fulfilled criteria for inclusion during the study period, representing 0.9% of all ICU admissions. The median age of patients was 54. Survival was independent of patients’ age, sex, aetiology and comorbidities. Mortality was 30.8% for both inpatient referrals to the ICU and for direct referrals via the ED. Higher mortality was identified among patients requiring mechanical ventilation (74.2 vs 24.6% in survivors; P