A clinical trial of cimetidine in acute pancreatitis.

A prospective randomized clinical trial was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of cimetidine in the treatment of acute pancreatitis. One hundred and sixteen patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute pancreatitis and an elevated serum amylase level were included in the study. All patients were treated with fluids, given intravenously, analgesia and nasogastric tube suction, if required. In addition, on a random basis, 52 received cimetidine given intravenously and 64 did not. There were no significant differences in the clinical courses of the two groups.