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Observational Study
. 2023 Aug;22(4):399-402.
doi: 10.1016/j.hbpd.2023.03.004. Epub 2023 Mar 16.

Prevalence and prognosis of acute pancreatitis in critically ill patients with COVID-19

Dongju Kang  1 , Su Ho Park  1 , Changkyo Oh  1 , Yu Jin Kim  1 , Jin Bae Kim  1 , Sang Hoon Park  1 , Myung Seok Lee  1 , Jae Keun Park  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Prevalence and prognosis of acute pancreatitis in critically ill patients with COVID-19

Dongju Kang et al. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic issue. In addition to the well-known respiratory and fever symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms have also been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and prognosis of patients with COVID-19 infection complicated with acute pancreatitis in intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study, and patients aged 18 years or older, admitted into the ICU in a single tertiary center from January 1, 2020, to April 30, 2022 were enrolled. Patients were identified by electronic medical records and reviewed manually. The primary outcome was the prevalence of acute pancreatitis among ICU patients with COVID-19. The secondary outcomes were the length of hospital stay, need for mechanical ventilation (MV), need for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), and in-hospital mortality.

Results: A total of 4133 patients, admitted into the ICU, were screened. Among these patients, 389 were infected by COVID-19, and 86 were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. COVID-19 positive patients were more likely to present with acute pancreatitis than COVID-19 negative patients (odds ratio = 5.42, 95% confidence interval: 2.35-6.58, P < 0.01). However, the length of hospital stay, need for MV, need for CRRT, and in-hospital mortality were not significantly different between acute pancreatitis patients with and without COVID-19 infection.

Conclusions: Severe COVID-19 infections may cause acute pancreas damage in critically ill patients. However, the prognosis may not differ between acute pancreatitis patients with and without COVID-19 infection.

Keywords: Acute pancreatitis; COVID-19; Coronavirus infections; Intensive care unit.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of procedures in enrolled patients. COVID-19: coronavirus disease 2019.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of Kaplan-Meier survival curves for a 50-day follow-up period between critically ill patients with acute pancreatitis, with and without COVID-19 infection. COVID-19: coronavirus disease 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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