Acute pancreatitis

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Abstract
Introduction Acute pancreatitis is a potentially lethal disease that is increasing in incidence. The high mortality associated with acute pancreatitis has improved as a result of a greater understanding of the natural history of acute pancreatitis and recent advances in critical care. Optimal management requires a greater willingness to consider the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, stratification of severity, and adequate fluid resuscitation. Here, we review who gets acute pancreatitis and how to deal with those patients in whom the cause remains unclear. We also examine the current controversies in acute pancreatitis: how to deliver nutritional support, what role exists for antibiotic prophylaxis, when to do a computed tomography scan, and the role of early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).