Discrepancy between the extent of pancreatic necrosis and multiple organ failure score in severe acute pancreatitis

Analysis of the Accuracy of the Modified CT Severity Index in Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Acute Pancreatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the accuracy of the modified CT severity index (MCTSI) in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis and to prognosticate the clinical outcomes.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The study was conducted at a tertiary health center between January 2021 and June 2023. A total of 150 consecutive patients with clinical/laboratory features suggestive of acute pancreatitis were included in the study and underwent a contrast-enhanced CT scan within 24 hours of admission. Based on their MCTSI score, these patients had conservative or surgical/endoscopic treatment. Clinical outcomes were assessed in terms of recovery, development of complications, or death. The receiver operating characteristic curve and descriptive statistics were computed to determine the sensitivity and specificity. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL), and an attempt was made to evaluate the accuracy of MCTSI in predicting these clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

The mean age of patients in our study was 49.21 ± 11.02 years. Out of the 150 included patients, 103 were men and 47 were women. Compared to 11.68% of severe acute pancreatitis patients who died, 88.32% recovered. The area under the curve was determined as 0.865, based on which the MCTSI score predicted acute pancreatitis clinical outcome with 64% sensitivity and 92% specificity. The MCTSI demonstrated value in predicting clinical outcomes with a p-value of 0.043 ± 0.012 (p < 0.05) in the recovered patients while p = 0.032 ± 0.012 for patients who succumbed. The p-value for MCTSI in predicting complications was p = 0.0012 ± 0.0008 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our study was able to demonstrate the high level of accuracy of the MCTSI score in predicting complications and clinical outcomes, especially in patients with severe acute pancreatitis. The MCTSI serves as a valuable asset in the preliminary evaluation of acute pancreatitis, thereby facilitating appropriate management.

Volume, but Not the Location of Necrosis, Is Associated with Worse Outcomes in Acute Pancreatitis: A Prospective Study

Background and Objectives: The course and clinical outcomes of acute pancreatitis (AP) are highly variable. Up to 20% of patients develop pancreatic necrosis. Extent and location of it might affect the clinical course and management. The aim was to determine the clinical relevance of the extent and location of pancreatic necrosis in patients with AP. Materials and Methods: A cohort of patients with necrotizing AP was collected from 2012 to 2018 at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Patients were allocated to subgroups according to the location (entire pancreas, left and right sides of pancreas) and extent (<30%, 30−50%, >50%) of pancreatic necrosis. Patients were reviewed for demographic features, number of performed surgical interventions, local and systemic complications, hospital stay and mortality rate. All contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scans were evaluated by at least two experienced abdominal radiologists. All patients were treated according to the standard treatment protocol based on current international guidelines. Results: The study included 83 patients (75.9% males (n = 63)) with a mean age of 53 ± 1.7. The volume of pancreatic necrosis exceeded 50% in half of the patients (n = 42, 51%). Positive blood culture (n = 14 (87.5%)), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (n = 17 (73.9%)) and incidences of respiratory failure (n = 19 (73.1%)) were significantly more often diagnosed in patients with pancreatic necrosis exceeding 50% (p < 0.05). Patients with >50% of necrosis were significantly (p < 0.05) more often diagnosed with moderately severe (n = 24 (41.4%)) and severe (n = 18 (72%)) AP. The number of surgical interventions (n = 18 (72%)) and ultrasound-guided interventions (n = 26 (65%)) was also significantly higher. In patients with whole-pancreas necrosis, incidence of renal insufficiency (n = 11 (64.7%)) and infected pancreatic necrosis (n = 19 (57.6%)) was significantly higher (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The clinical course and outcome were worse in the case of pancreatic necrosis exceeding 50%, rendering the need for longer and more complex treatment.

Molecular Patterns in Acute Pancreatitis Reflect Generalizable Endotypes of the Host Response to Systemic Injury in Humans

OBJECTIVE

Acute Pancreatitis (AP) is sudden onset pancreas inflammation that causes systemic injury with a wide and markedly heterogeneous range of clinical consequences. Here, we hypothesized that this observed clinical diversity corresponds to diversity in molecular subtypes that can be identified in clinical and multiomics data.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Observational cohort study. n = 57 for the discovery cohort (clinical, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data) and n = 312 for the validation cohort (clinical and metabolomics data).

METHODS

We integrated coincident transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data at serial time points between admission to hospital and up to 48 hours after recruitment from a cohort of patients presenting with acute pancreatitis. We systematically evaluated 4 different metrics for patient similarity using unbiased mathematical, biological, and clinical measures of internal and external validity.We next compared the AP molecular endotypes with previous descriptions of endotypes in a critically ill population with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

RESULTS

Our results identify 4 distinct and stable AP molecular endotypes. We validated our findings in a second independent cohort of patients with AP.We observed that 2 endotypes in AP recapitulate disease endotypes previously reported in ARDS.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that molecular endotypes exist in AP and reflect biological patterns that are also present in ARDS, suggesting that generalizable patterns exist in diverse presentations of critical illness.

The Short- and Long-Term Burden of Acute Pancreatitis in the United States: A Retrospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

This retrospective cohort study assessed short- and long-term economic, clinical burden, and productivity impacts of acute pancreatitis (AP) in the United States.

METHODS

United States claims data from patients hospitalized for AP (January 1, 2011-September-30, 2016) were sourced from MarketScan databases. Patients were categorized by index AP severity: severe intensive care unit (ICU), severe non-ICU, and other hospitalized patients.

RESULTS

During index, 41,946 patients were hospitalized or visited an emergency department for AP. For inpatients, median (interquartile range) AP-related total cost was $13,187 ($12,822) and increased with AP severity (P < 0.0001). During the postindex year, median AP-related costs were higher (P < 0.0001) for severe ICU versus severe non-ICU and other hospitalized patients. Hours lost and costs due to absence and short-term disability were similar between categories. Long-term disability costs were higher (P = 0.005) for severe ICU versus other hospitalized patients. Factors associated with higher total all-cause costs in the year after discharge included AP severity, length of hospitalization, readmission, AP reoccurrence, progression to chronic pancreatitis, or new-onset diabetes (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

An AP event exerts substantial burden during hospitalization and involves long-term clinical and economic consequences, including loss of productivity, which increase with index AP event severity.

Organ Failure Due to Systemic Injury in Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis may be associated with both local and systemic complications. Systemic injury manifests in the form of organ failure, which is seen in approximately 20% of all cases of acute pancreatitis and defines "severe acute pancreatitis." Organ failure typically develops early in the course of acute pancreatitis, but also may develop later due to infected pancreatic necrosis-induced sepsis. Organ failure is the most important determinant of outcome in acute pancreatitis. We review here the current understanding of the risk factors, pathophysiology, timing, impact on outcome, and therapy of organ failure in acute pancreatitis. As we discuss the pathophysiology of severe systemic injury, the distinctions between markers and mediators of severity are highlighted based on evidence supporting their causality in organ failure. Emphasis is placed on clinically relevant end points of organ failure and the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiological perturbations, which offer insight into potential therapeutic targets to treat.

Morphological and immunobiochemical analysis of the liver in L-arginine induced experimental chronic pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

Clinical evidence indicates that hepatic abnormalities in patients with chronic pancreatitis are not uncommon. Here we aimed to study the possible association between liver and pancreatic damage in a recently described experimental mouse model of CP.

METHODS

The severity of the damage to pancreas, liver and other organs was assessed by biochemical markers and histopathology. The methods applied included Hematoxylin Eosin staining, electron microscope examination, biochemical measurements, RT-PCR, ELISA, and the correlations among some of the parameters contributing to these changes were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

The hepatic aberrations were mainly represented by mild infiltration of inflammatory cells in portal triad and congestion of central vein of liver, and the main features of drug-induced hepatotoxicity could not be observed. Severe fibrosis of pancreatic tissue was noticed in experimental group, and the existence of multiple organ injuries was also seen under the microscope. Hepatic pathologic scores were positively correlated with those from the corresponding pancreatic specimens (r = 0.72, P < 0.01). TGF-β1 protein levels significantly elevated both in the test pancreas and liver (P < 0.05) and these values were positively correlated (r = 0.86, P < 0.01). The level of interleukin-1β was increased in the serum and tissue of the liver. In addition, cardiac troponin (Tn-I) level not only significantly increased in myocardial homogenates (P < 0.05) but also was positively correlated with the corresponding pathologic score of the liver (r = 0.88, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The liver aberrations might be associated with L-arginine induced chronic pancreatitis.

Nutrition, inflammation, and acute pancreatitis. ISRN Inflamm. 2013;2013:341410. [PMID: 24490104 DOI: 10.1155/2013/341410]

Acute pancreatitis is acute inflammatory disease of the pancreas. Nutrition has a number of anti-inflammatory effects that could affect outcomes of patients with pancreatitis. Further, it is the most promising nonspecific treatment modality in acute pancreatitis to date. This paper summarizes the best available evidence regarding the use of nutrition with a view of optimising clinical management of patients with acute pancreatitis.

The revised Atlanta classification for acute pancreatitis: updates in imaging terminology and guidelines. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC. 2013;38:125-136. [PMID: 22584543 DOI: 10.1007/s00261-012-9908-0]

Imaging of acute pancreatitis requires not only an understanding of the disease subtypes and the myriad of associated complications but also familiarity with the appropriate radiologic nomenclature as defined by the Atlanta symposium in 1992 and, more recently, by the Acute Pancreatitis Classification Working Group in 2008. The accurate description of the radiological findings plays a critical role in the evaluation and management of patients with acute pancreatitis, particularly those with severe disease. There have been increasing efforts to develop uniformity in the use of terminology used to define the radiologic findings in acute pancreatitis, in particular, the terminology for fluid collections, a common area of inconsistency and confusion. Terms such as "acute peripancreatic fluid collections," "acute post- necrotic fluid collections," "pseudocyst," and "walled-off pancreatic necrosis" are now recommended as they describe the evolution of fluid collections in patients with both interstitial and necrotizing pancreatitis and nonspecific terms such as "pancreatic abscess" and "phlegmon" are being abandoned. In this review we illustrate, with case examples, the standardized terminology used in the radiological and clinical description of acute pancreatitis, its severity, and complications with an emphasis on the role of ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Different management options of the associated complications are also discussed. The use of standardized terminology will hopefully improve the communication between radiologists, gastroenterologists, and surgeons to facilitate treatment planning and will lead to enhanced outcomes for patients with acute pancreatitis as well as create uniformity for enrollment into research studies.

[Clinical characteristics of acute pancreatitis in Mexico]

BACKGROUND

Acute pancreatitis (AP) etiology and frequency vary in relation to geographic region.

AIMS

To determine the etiology, frequency, and mortality of AP in a Mexican population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We carried out a prospective study of first episode AP patients over a period of 6 years.

RESULTS

A total of 605 patients with a mean age of 40 years were included in the study. Sixty-four percent of them presented with overweight and/or obesity determined through BMI. Etiology was biliary in 66.60%, it was due to alcohol consumption in 15.90%, hypertriglyceridemia in 7.80%, it was post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in 2.10%, and was undetermined in 7.20%. Pancreatic infection was suspected in 70 patients and they underwent CT-guided fine needle aspiration. Thirty-two of those patients were diagnosed with pancreatic infection in which Staphylococcus spp was the most common microorganism. Overall mortality was 5.00% (2.60% < 30 years and 10.00% > 70 years). Necrosis, pancreatic infection, and mortality were more frequent in the cases in which etiology was due to alcohol ingestion.

CONCLUSIONS

The most frequent AP etiology was biliary, but that caused by alcohol presented with more complications. Overall mortality was 5.00% and was higher in the elderly patients.

Global survey of controversies in classifying the severity of acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

The need to accurately classify the severity of patients with acute pancreatitis is widely acknowledged but some questions pertinent to this remain debatable. The aim of this study was to benchmark opinions of pancreatologists worldwide with regard to the issues related to classifying the severity of acute pancreatitis.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted using an independent commercial service. The corresponding authors of all articles pertinent to clinical aspects of acute pancreatitis published over the last 5 years were invited to participate.

RESULTS

A total of 528 invitations were sent and 240 (45%) responses from 49 countries, representing all the inhabited continents, were received. The Atlanta approach to classifying the severity of acute pancreatitis was considered adequate for modern clinical practice and clinical research by 40 (17%) of the respondents. The determinants-based approach to classifying the severity of acute pancreatitis was considered adequate for modern clinical practice and clinical research by 188 (78%) and 191 (80%) of the respondents, respectively. The definitions of local and systemic determinants of severity were also clarified.

CONCLUSION

Classifying the severity of acute pancreatitis on the basis of Atlanta approach was considered inadequate by the overwhelming majority of respondents. An international consensus on the new classification of severity of acute pancreatitis has to take into account the results of this survey.