Acute pancreatitis

1. Big picture

Acute pancreatitis is a common surgical emergency, but most cases are treated non-operatively. The surgeon’s job is to:

1. Confirm the diagnosis.
2. Identify severity early.
3. Find the cause, especially gallstones.
4. Resuscitate and prevent organ failure.
5. Treat biliary obstruction/cholangitis urgently.
6. Avoid unnecessary early surgery.
7. Intervene only for complications, especially infected necrosis, abdominal compartment syndrome, bleeding, bowel ischemia, and persistent symptomatic collections.

The key exam sentence:

**Acute pancreatitis is initially a resuscitation and critical-care disease, not an immediate operative disea