Evaluation and Management of Acute Pancreatitis in Spain

Introduction: The aim of this systematic review is to summarize epidemiological data and areas of future acute pancreatitis research in Spain.

Methods: We conduct an independent search in PubMed and Web of Science and analyse articles by Spanish researchers from 2008 to 2018.

Results: We identified an overall incidence of 72/100,000 person-years, with biliary pancreatitis as the most common etiology. BISAP was useful but suboptimal for predicting severity and some biomarkers such as Oleic acid chlorohydrin have shown promising results. The modified determinant-based classification can help to classify patients admitted to intensive care units. Ringer's lactate solution is currently the fluid of choice and classic surgery has been surpassed by minimally-invasive approaches. Starting a full-caloric diet is safe when bowel sounds are present.

Discussion: There are numerous well-defined research fields in Spain. Future multicentre studies should focus on management, predicting severity and cost-effectiveness.