Pancreatite aguda

American Journal of Gastroenterology C 2006 by Am. Coll. of Gastroenterology Published by Blackwell Publishing

ISSN 0002-9270 doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2006.00856.x

Practice Guidelines in Acute Pancreatitis
Peter A. Banks, M.D., M.A.C.G.,1 Martin L. Freeman, M.D., F.A.C.G.,2 and the Practice Parameters Committee ∗ of the American College of Gastroenterology 1 Division of Gastroenterology, Center for Pancreatic Disease, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; 2 Division of Gastroenterology, Hennepin County Medical Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

(Am J Gastroenterol 2006;101:2379–2400)

INTRODUCTION
Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute pancreatitis were published by the American College of Gastroenterology in 1997 (1). These and subsequent guidelines (2–7) have undergone periodic review (6, 8–13) in accordance with advances that have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of acute pancreatitis. Guidelines for clinical practice are intended to apply to all health-care providers who take care of patients with acute pancreatitis and are intended to be flexible, and to suggest preferable (but not the only) approaches. Because there is a wide range of choices in any health-care situation, the physician should select the course best suited to the individual patient and the clinical situation. These guidelines have been developed under the auspices of the American College of Gastroenterology and its Practice Parameters Committee, and approved by the Board of Trustees. The world literature in English was reviewed using a MEDLINE search and also using the Cochrane Library. The ratings of levels of evidence for these guidelines are indicated in Table 1. The final recommendations are based on the data available at the time of the publication of this document and may be updated with appropriate scientific development at a later time. The following guidelines are intended for adult and not