Treatment for acute pancreatitis
If you have an attack of acute pancreatitis, you may receive strong drugs for pain. You may have to have your stomach drained with a tube placed through your nose. If the attack is prolonged, you may be fed and hydrated intravenously (through a vein).
You’ll probably need to stay in the hospital, where your treatment may include:
- Antibiotics if your pancreas is infected
- Intravenous (IV) fluids, given through a needle
- Low-fat diet or fasting. You might need to stop eating so your pancreas can recover. In this case, you’ll get nutrition through a feeding tube.
- Pain medicine
If your case is more severe, your treatment might include:
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a procedure that involves the insertion of a tube down your throat into the stomach and upper intestines to take out gallstones if they’re blocking your bile or pancreatic ducts. A small cut is made to remove stones in the bile duct, or a plastic tube called a stent is inserted into the ducts to relieve the obstruction.
- Gallbladder surgery if gallstones caused your pancreatitis
- Pancreas surgery to clean out fluid or dead or diseased tissue
