Formula of enteral nutrition in patients with severe acute pancreatitis

Despite the absence of special therapy in the treatment of patients with acute pancreatitis, recent advances that use nonspecific early treatments have resulted in improved outcomes. These results are derived from studies on the use of rehydration, analgesia, prophylactic antibiotics and the limitation of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with concomitant acute cholangitis. However, a marked and consistent improvement in patient outcomes over the past decade has been noted in researches that have studied the use of artificial nutrition, both enteral and parenteral, in patients with acute pancreatitis. The available data, taking into account the current state of the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis, emphasize that nutritional support with appropriate nutritional supplements are key elements for limiting local inflammation and preventing or treating pancreatitis-associated complications. This review of the literature obtained from the PubMed database focuses on the latest advances in the optimal enteral feeding strategy in patients with severe acute pancreatitis, as well as the role of nutritional supplements such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, glutamine, arginine, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins, to evaluate the improvement of treatment outcomes for these patients and the prospects for further research.