Pancreatitis (Acute)

Question 1

What are the symptoms?

Answer 1

Abdominal pain

Nausea and vomiting

Board like abdomen

Skin discoloration (Cullen’s and Turner’s sign)

Question 2

Does eating make the pain better or worse?

Answer 2

Worse, especially fatty foods

Question 3

What liver enzymes are elevated with pancreatitis?

Answer 3

Lipase and amylase

Question 4

What are the nursing interventions?

Answer 4

Make client NPO

NG tube to decreased gastric distention

IV fluids

Antiacids

Teach client to stop drinking

Question 5

How do you treat the pain?

Answer 5

The pain is treated with opioids (eg, hydromorphone, fentanyl).

Question 6

Never give this for pain. Why?

Answer 6

Morphine; it was thought to cause spasms in the pancreatic duct and sphincter of oddi

However Morphine can also be used; worsening pancreatitis due to an increase in sphincter of Oddi pressure has not been proven in studies

Question 7

What is the number one cause of acute pancreatitis?

Answer 7

Alcohol abuse