Organ failure associated with severe acute pancreatitis

AIM:To investigate the relationship between severe acutepancreatitis (SAP) and organ failure.METHODS:Clinical data of 74 cases of SAP from Jan.1993to Dec.2002 were retrospectively reviewed,and therelationship between organ failure and age,gender,etiology,extent of necrosis,infection of necrosis and mortality wasanalyzed.RESULTS:A total of 47 patients (63.5 %) showed organfailure,20 patients (27.0 %) multiple organ failure,whereas27 patients (36.5 %) with dysfunction of a single organsystem.Pulmonary failure was the most common organdysfunction (23.0 %) among single organ failures.Therewere no significant differences in age,gender and gallstonepancreatitis among patients with or without organ failure(P>0.05).The incidence of organ failure in infected necrosiswas not higher compared with sterile necrosis,and patientswith increased amount of necrosis did not have an increasedprevalence of organ failure (P>0.05).Patients with organfailure had a higher mortality rate compared with thosewithout organ failure (P<0.05).The death of SAP wasassociated with multiple organ failure (P<0.005),pulmonaryfailure (P<0.005),cardiovascular dysfunction (P<0.05) andgastrointestinal dysfunction (P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Organ failure is common in patients withSAP,and patients with multiple organ failure and pulmonaryfailure have a higher mortality rate.Prevention and activetreatment of organ failure can improve the outcome ofpatients with SAP.