Early enteral nutrition in acute pancreatitis--benefits and limitations.

INTRODUCTION

The application of enteral feeding as part of the treatment of acute pancreatitis goes back more than a decade now. In this review, the authors outline the indications and limitations of enteral feeding in the treatment of acute pancreatitis using up-to-date evidence-based data.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Latest meta-analyses suggest that early enteral feeding reduces effectively the incidence of infective complications and shortens hospital stay. In addition, recently published randomized controlled trials indicate that it may reduce mortality as well.

CONCLUSION

However, the role of immune-enhancing ingredients, such as glutamine or omega-3 fatty acids, combined with enteral nutrition is uncertain, and the published studies are too few to make any treatment recommendation. Supplementation of enteral feeding with probiotics is a potentially promising alternative, but further well-designed multi-centric trials are necessary to prove their role in the treatment of acute pancreatitis.