Acute Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is diagnosed by a combination of clinical features (epigastric pain with radiation to back, nausea/vomiting etc) and diagnostic tests (lipase 3x normal, CT scan)
A RUQ US should be performed looking for gallstones as this finding significantly alters management
The focus of management is on supportive care. IV fluids, while central to therapy, should be given judiciously and titrated to end organ perfusion
BISAP Score (Wu 2008, Papachristou 2010) is a clinical score used to predict mortality from pancreatitis.

Patients with mild pancreatitis who are tolerating oral intake and can reliably follow up, can be discharged home