Predicting fatal outcome in the early phase of severe acute pancreatitis by using novel prognostic models.

Background/aims: Survival in acute pancreatitis and particularly in severe acute and necrotizing pancreatitis is a combination of therapy-associated and patient-related factors. There are only few relevant methods for predicting fatal outcome in acute pancreatitis. Scores such as Ranson, Imrie, Blamey, and APACHE II are practical in assessing the severity of the disease, but are not sufficiently validated for predicting fatal outcome among patients with severe acute pancreatitis.

Long-term health-related quality of life in survivors of severe acute pancreatitis.

Objective: To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQL) and postdischarge outcome after severe acute pancreatitis.

Design And Setting: Observational study in a department of surgery (surgical and general intensive care unit) in a tertiary care hospital.

Patients And Participants: Of 283 patients with severe acute pancreatitis 211 survived; during a follow-up period an additional 27 died.

Multiple organ dysfunction associated with severe acute pancreatitis.

Objective: To compare three different multiple organ dysfunction scores in predicting hospital mortality rates and to discover which one best assesses organ dysfunction/failure in patients with severe acute pancreatitis in a general intensive care unit.

Design: Retrospective, observational study.

Setting: Surgical department and a ten-bed general intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital.