Nutrition support in pancreatitis.

Nutrition support is especially important in patients who have pancreatitis, as these patients have high metabolic needs and are usually unable to ingest sufficient calories from an oral diet because of pain or intestinal dysfunction. Clinicians must assess severity of the disease carefully, as initiation and timing of nutrition support are crucial. Depending on the severity, early nutrition support may be unnecessary, while late support ultimately may lead to worse outcomes. Route of nutrition support also plays an important role in treatment. The clinician has many alternatives from which to choose, including enteral nutrition given nasogastrically or nasojejunally, or parenteral nutrition given through a central line. This article explores the role of nutrition support in the outcome of pancreatitis and provides guidelines to aid the clinician in caring for patients who have acute and chronic pancreatitis.