Background: There is a lack of data concerning pancreatic involvement during shock.
Aim: To evaluate possible pancreatic alterations in the early phase of shock.
Setting: Twelve consecutive patients with shock were studied within 2 hours from the onset of illness. Seven patients died during the hospital stay: 3 within 4 hours from admission, 3 within 4-8 hours and 1 within 12 hours.
Main outcome measures: Amylase, lipase, C-reactive protein, amyloid A, interleukin 6, procalcitonin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 serum concentrations were determined on admission and 4, 8, and 12 hours afterward. All patients underwent imaging studies of the pancreas.
Results: None of the patients developed clinical signs or morphological alterations compatible with acute pancreatitis. Serum amylase levels were above the upper reference limit in 7 patients (58.3%) and serum lipase levels in 2 patients (16.7%; P=0.062). There were no significant differences found between survivors and non-survivors in the serum concentrations of all the proteins studied.
Conclusions: In patients with shock, amylase seems to be more frequently elevated than lipase. None of the patients showed pancreatic alterations at imaging techniques.