The course of pancreatic necrosis. Influence of infection factors
Machado, M.C.; Bacchella, T.; da Cunha, J.E.; Jukemura, J.; Penteado, S.; Giovanoli, A.C.; Pinotti, H.W.
Revista do Hospital das Clinicas 40(3): 120-124
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-8781 PMID: 4095440 Document Number: 262472
Infections developing early in acute pancreatitis may be a major contributing factor in the outcome of this disease. To investigate the imporance of infection, 37 cases of pancreatic necrosis were retrospectively studied. This group of patients cold be divided in 2 subgroups: one with infected necrosis (31 cases) and the other with negative tissue cultures (6 cases). The main causative factor in the 1st group were biliary tract disease (16 cases), trauma (5 cases), hyperlipidemia (4 cases) and alcoholism (3 cases). In this group 14 cases were operated on during the first 10 days of their diseases. Mortality in this group was 35.4%. In the group without infection, the causes of the diseases were alcoholism in 3 patients and hyperlipidemia and bilary tract diseases in 1 patient each. In 1 patient the etiology was unknown. All the patients were operated on after the first 30 days of their diseases. There was no mortality in this small group. These findings suggest that infection may occur early in acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis and represent an importantphenomenon. a prospective clinical study evaluating the presence of infection early in acute pancreatic necrosis and the correlations with the outcome appears justified.