M-A | Aggressive IV hydration may increase mortality risk in severe acute pancreatitis

Summary: This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the outcomes of aggressive and non-aggressive intravenous hydration in patients with severe and non-severe acute pancreatitis (AP). The study included nine randomized controlled trials with a total of 953 participants.

The findings revealed that aggressive intravenous hydration significantly increased mortality risk in severe AP cases, and fluid-related complication risk in both severe and non-severe AP cases. However, the study has some limitations, as only one study with 249 participants was judged to have a low risk of bias in all domains, while the remaining eight studies had non-low risk of bias, raising concerns about the reliability of the findings.

Despite these concerns, the findings still suggest that more conservative intravenous fluid resuscitation protocols for AP may be preferable. Further research with more rigorous study designs is needed to provide robust evidence on the effectiveness of different intravenous hydration strategies in treating acute pancreatitis.

Article: Comparison of clinical outcomes between aggressive and non-aggressive intravenous hydration for acute pancreatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis – Critical Care