title: Current pharmacotherapeutic recommendations for acute pancreatitis.
abstract: Disease severity in patients with acute pancreatitis varies from mild disease with minimal morbidity to severe disease in which a whole spectrum of local and systemic complications may occur. Infectious complications frequently arise, and pancreatic necrosis in particular is an important risk factor for mortality. Several strategies have been investigated to stop the progression of organ dysfunction, targeting different steps in the pathogenesis, but none of these have proved beneficial. In recent years, the widespread use of prophylactic antibiotics has also been in question, as one blinded study could not demonstrate an advantage. Better risk stratification methods should improve the design of future trials, so that only patients with a high probability of complications can be studied.
authors.affiliation: Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. jan.dewaele@UGent.be
authors.forename: Jan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: De Waele
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hoste
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019283:Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018579:Patient Selection; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D011480:Protease Inhibitors